The Swan Princess
by jdmusiclover
Summary: Lieutenant Duckling. When 4-year-old Emma Swan met 5-year-old Killian Jones for the first time, she punched him in the face. As Emma and Killian grow up, they become friends-and eventually more. Can their love survive an agonizing ultimatum by the Dark One? (originally part of my collection Fluffy Fridays)
1. Chapter 1

The first time Princess Emma Swan met Killian Jones, she punched him in the face.

When Queen Snow White reached her twenty-eighth year, a magnificent ball was held in her honor. Four-year-old Emma was overjoyed when Mama and Papa had informed her she would be allowed to attend the ball—at least until bedtime. She'd been deemed too young to attend any of the previous balls the king and queen of the Enchanted Forest had thrown, but she'd always wanted to. Sometimes, after her nursemaid, Johanna thought she was asleep, she'd creep to the balcony and looked down at all the beautiful ladies and dashing gentlemen as they twirled to the music of the string orchestra her papa always hired for their balls.

Now that she was four, Mama and Papa had _finally_ realized that Emma wasn't a baby anymore, and she was old enough to go to the ball. She couldn't _wait._

The night before the ball, Emma was so excited she couldn't sleep. After checking carefully to make sure Johanna was nowhere around, she crept out of her bed and decided to go exploring the castle, but as she was passing by Mama and Papa's bedroom, she heard them talking—and her name was mentioned. Curious now, Emma drew back into the shadows and unabashedly listened.

"Can you believe it, Charming?" Mama said excitedly. "Bridget is _finally_ coming back for a visit!"

"It's been what? Six years since we last saw her?" Papa answered.

"Exactly," Mama said. "She and her husband Brennan—and little Liam came to our wedding. Have you heard that she has another little boy? Killian, apparently. He's a year older than Emma."

Emma had never met Bridget, but she knew the story. Bridget had been one of Mama's favorite ladies' maids back when she was a little girl, but not long after Grandma Eva had died, Bridget had met a sailor—Brennan Jones—and they'd fallen in love. After they got married, they decided to sail the seas together.

"Is that right?" Papa asked somewhat absently.

Emma heard her mama's skirt rustling, and she knew she was moving closer toward Papa. "Wouldn't it be lovely if Emma and Killian were to…hit it off?" she asked in a soft voice. "Maybe one day they'll agree to a betrothal!"

"Now Snow," Papa said, "you know we agreed to allow Emma her own choices in the matter. We endured a fair amount of difficulty to ensure our True Love would win out in the end. Can we truly even _think_ about doing any differently for our little girl?"

"I didn't mean to _force_ them into a betrothal, Charming," Mama said. "I merely thought…well, if we were to, say, provide the conditions for them to meet every so often…maybe they'd eventually come to the conclusion that a betrothal is exactly what they want. It would give us a chance to _finally_ do something for Bridget and Brennan without bruising his pride. I know finances are tight and it's difficult for them, but if their son was to become the crown prince, they would have all they could possibly need or want."

Suddenly Papa moved toward the door, and Emma turned quickly, hoping to get away before she was discovered, but in her haste, her leg bumped the table in the passageway, and Emma watched in horror as the vase Grandma Regina gave Mama went crashing to the floor and broke into a million pieces.

Emma stood rooted to the floor, her mouth open in shock, and so she appeared when Papa rushed out of his bedroom to see what the commotion was. When he took in the site of his tiny girl next to the broken vase, he let out a long, relieved breath that it had been nothing more sinister causing the ruckus.

"What are you doing out of bed, my Swan Princess?" He asked, crouching down so he was on Emma's eye level. (Papa had been calling her his swan princess for as long as Emma could remember, insisting she was as lovely and precious as a swan.)

"I'm sorry Papa!" Emma said, throwing herself into her father's arms. "I didn't mean to break Gramma 'Gina's vase! I was just excited about the ball tomorrow. I couldn't sleep."

"It's alright sweetheart," Mama said, crouching beside Papa and patting Emma's back. "The truth is, I never really liked that vase anyway. I know it's hard to sleep when you're excited, but you're a growing girl and you need your rest. How about your father and I tell you the story of how we met and fell in love until you fall asleep?"

It was Emma's favorite story, and she never tired of hearing it. Pulling back, she nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, Mama."

~c~c~c~c~c~c~c~c~c~c~c~

Emma's eyes widened as she and her parents made their grand entrance at the ball, announced, of course, by their majordomo, Grumpy. As beautiful and glittering and magical as balls looked from the perspective of the balcony, they were infinitely better from the ball room itself.

Everyone seemed exceedingly happy on this night to honor her mother…and everyone who came to greet the king and queen stopped to oo and aww over what a perfect little lady the princess was in her pink dress and sparkly tiara.

But Emma's patience with sitting still and quietly only lasted so long. She loved to run and play, to ride her pony, Buttercup and feel the breeze in her face, to follow the servants around and pester them with questions, to be young and _free_.

"Alright Swan Princess," Papa said when he saw her start to fidget, "you may go join in the dancing."

"Just don't get into any mischief," her mother added. "And don't get in the way of the other lords and ladies here to dance."

"Yes, Mama," Emma said with a huff, already heading for the dancefloor as the string orchestra struck up a lively tune.

Emma danced three quick dances, before the musicians slowed things down and the dancers around her began to seek out partners. Emma didn't have a partner of her own, of course, but it was no matter. Boys were gross anyway. Who wanted to dance with them?

Emma put one arm in the air, as though placing it on a partner's shoulder, and she hooked the other as though holding her partner around the waist. And as the music swelled, she and her imaginary partner danced in perfect contentment.

She noticed as various couples swirled around her, chuckling down at her or making comments about how cute she was, but it was no matter to her. Let the grown up ladies dance with boys. She just wanted to dance by herself.

"Excuse me," a young voice said as Emma felt a tap on her shoulder, "could I cut in?"

Emma turned around to find herself face to face with a little boy near her age. He had black hair and bright blue eyes, and he seemed polite enough.

It would be rude to turn him away, Emma supposed, so she reluctantly allowed the real boy to take the place of her imaginary one. They danced silently for a moment or two (and the "Aww!"s and "Isn't that just adorable"s, if anything picked up in intensity around them, although Emma couldn't for the life of her understand why.)

Maybe if they'd remained silent, disaster wouldn't have struck.

"You're the princess, Princess Emma, right?' the boy asked.

"Yes, but my papa calls me Swan Princess," Emma said with a nod. "Who are you?"

"My name's Killian," the boy answered. "My mama and your mama were great friends before she met my papa."

"Oh, _you're_ Killian!" Emma said, as they continued to dance. "I heard my mama and papa talking about you last night! They said they hope you and me get 'trothed, whatever that is."

Killian rolled his eyes. "Don't you know _anything_? It's not 'trothed'! It's ' _be_ trothed'. It means you promise to get married."

Emma tossed him a skeptical look. "Are you sure? Why would mama and papa talk about _that_?"

"Course I'm sure!" Killian said, "And of course your mama and papa were talking about it! That's what mamas and papas talk about when they're royalty. But don't feel bad you didn't know; when you get as old as me, you'll know things too."

"You're not much older than me!" Emma said in outrage.

"I turned five last year, that makes a whole hand," Killian said holding up one small hand with its five digits to make his point.

"Well I'm four!" Emma said. "That's almost a hand! And I don't want to be 'trothed to you! You're just a…just a _smelly_ boy!"

"Am not!" Killian said in outrage. "I'm not smelly! I just _took_ a bath! But you're a…you're a girl and you have _cooties_. And guess what? Four _isn't_ almost five! Four-year-olds are just babies!"

In the world of young children there is no greater insult. It was the five-year-old version of declaring open warfare.

And Emma was never one to back away from a fight. She stepped out of his arms, pulled her fist back, and walloped him as hard as she could.

"There!" she said, "that'll teach you to call big girls babies!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Emma could already see her mother heading in her direction—stern look in place—and she knew she was about to get into trouble, but thinking back to the shock on Killian's face as she decked him, she decided that all in all, it was worth it.

 _Notes:_

 _-So it seems I'm incapable of writing AUs (either modern AUs or LD ones) without them turning into MCs. This one won't be terribly long. Right now, I'm planning on about five chapters, but Emma and Killan as babies (excuse me, BIG boys and girls) just took up way too much space. In the coming chapters they will grow up—and dare I say, their opinions of each other will—eventually—improve._

 _-While the story is called "The Swan Princess", it's not really based on the animated movie (or ballet). I suppose you could say it has some major parallels to the first part of the animated movie, but that's about it._

 _-The dance was based on 2 real-life events. The first I mentioned in the last chapter—the little girl I saw dancing by herself at a wedding last year and the little boy who came to dance with her. The second happened long ago. When I was 5 years old, I was the flower girl for my aunt and uncle's wedding, and I remember dancing by myself at their reception. Like Emma I was perfectly content to dance with my imaginary Prince Charming, but one of the adults—I think it was my new uncle's brother, took pity on me and asked me to dance. All in all, I would have preferred continuing my dance with my imaginary partner, but I didn't want to be rude, so I danced with him. (Luckily he didn't call me a baby, so I didn't feel compelled to punch him in the face, lol.)_

 _-Up next: The story continues. Emma and Killian continue to not get along, but when a series of tragedies strike in Killian's life, Emma's compassionate side starts to come out._


	2. Chapter 2

Emma was in trouble for a good week and a half after the incident at the ball. Mama had marched directly up to her, pulled her aside, and told her she needed to go directly to bed. They would talk in the morning. Emma's stomach dropped at the prospect. She knew when her mother got _that_ look in her eye, she was in for it.

Stupid Killian! This was all his fault! She vowed then and there that she wasn't ever going to get 'trothed to him; she didn't care what Mama and Papa said! Emma went to bed fuming over the disaster her first ball had been. Not only had she been called a _baby_ , now she was about to get in trouble too!

Stupid Killian!

The next morning, Mama and Papa called her into their sitting room, and Mama demanded she explain herself. Mama had remained stern as Emma explained exactly why punching Killian Jones in the face was the proper response to the insult he'd leveled at her. Papa, however…well, she suspected all those sudden coughing spells he had during the conversation were really disguised laughter.

How she loved Papa! He always understood. He told her they were two of a kind; papa and his little Swan Princess.

She loved Mama too, of course, but…well, she certainly didn't enjoy it as Mama went on and on about how violence wasn't the answer, how that wasn't the way a young lady was to act, how that wasn't princess-ly conduct.

"But Mama!" Emma had protested. " _You_ hit Papa with a rock the first time you met him! You told me the story a million times!"

Papa's coughing fit after that lasted for a good two minutes…until Mama glared at him and he quickly got ahold of himself.

"Never mind that, young lady," Mama had said. "No more punching guests to our castle. Understood?"

"Yes, Mama."

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

Emma had hoped her thoughts about Killian Jones were quite clear to Mama and Papa after the punching incident, but unfortunately her mother wasn't deterred.

It was a beautiful summer afternoon the next year, and Emma and her parents had decided to spend the day in the woods. (Mama had spent a good amount of time there before…back when Grandma 'Gina was so mad at her and Mama had to hide. Mama liked being the queen, but sometimes she liked to spend time in the woods where she could be free.)

Not long after their picnic lunch, Aunt Ruby had come to join them. Ruby wasn't _really_ her aunt, but she was Mama's dearest friend and they saw her all the time. Emma liked Aunt Ruby. She was always lots of fun…and she could even turn into a _wolf_ when it was the full moon! Sometimes Aunt Ruby would give Emma rides on her back under the moonlight. Emma loved the feel of the wind in her hair and the soft gray fur on Aunt Ruby's back, as she ran under the pale moon's glow.

Sometimes Aunt Ruby would tell her stories about what it was like to be a wolf. Emma loved those!

But on this particular afternoon, Aunt Ruby and Mama definitely were _not_ talking about the wolf.

"Killian should arrive sometime late tomorrow night," Mama said. "He will be with us for a week. It'll give him and Emma a chance to start getting to know each other."

Emma had been galloping her toy unicorn over the road that was her Papa's back, but she suddenly froze. "Mama, no! Not Killian."

Mama wore that stern look she sometimes got when Emma knew she would get nowhere by arguing with her. "Now Emma, none of that! Killian will be our guest, and I expect you to treat his as such. Promise me, Emma that there will be no punching this time."

Emma pouted, her little lip going out, but finally she dropped her eyes. "Okay, Mama," she said. "I promise."

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

Emma kept her promise; she _didn't_ punch Killian, but from time to time it was a close thing.

Killian Jones was just so _annoying_!

Mama insisted Emma spend the afternoons with Killian after her lessons with her tutor, Belle, were finished for the morning. Normally Emma _loved_ the afternoons. She had lessons all morning long, and by the time lunch arrived, Emma always felt like she was ready to jump out of her skin. She wanted to run and play…not sit inside learning her letters. (Belle had assured her that once she learned how to read, a whole world of adventure would open up to her, but Emma was more than a little skeptical.)

But with Killian at the castle for a _whole_ week, she couldn't even look forward to her afternoon free time, because she had to spend it with him.

All Killian ever wanted to do was read his books about ships and the sea. If he wasn't reading, he wanted to be at the docks, looking out at her father's ships. He talked on and on and on about his Papa and what a great sailor he was. He talked about how his father promised that one day he'd take him and his brother Liam with him on a sail. They might even bring their Mama too.

Emma just didn't see what the big deal was about the water. She liked to wade into it in the summer when it was hot outside, but why would anyone want to spend months on a stupid _ship_?

When Emma had voiced her thoughts to Killian, though, he'd gotten angry at first—and then adopted that smug, superior look he sometimes wore, the one that drove Emma _crazy_.

"It's okay Emma," he'd said, nodding sagely with all his 6-year-old wisdom. "Not everyone can have good taste. It's not your fault that you don't know what's fun and what's not. Maybe when you're older you'll figure it out."

(She'd had to put her hand behind her back to keep from slugging him that time, her fist literally _itching_ to connect with his face.)

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

 _Four Years Later_

Emma knew something bad had happened almost right away.

Mama had spent the last few weeks talking up Killian's yearly summer visit, trying to convince Emma that one day things would change; one day they'd have more in common; once day they'd become friends…and maybe even more.

Emma seriously doubted it. If she'd managed to make it to the ripe old age of nine-years-old, and she _still_ hated him, she was sure there was no hope that her feelings would ever change.

But then, suddenly, something changed. Emma didn't really understand it, but one morning, about a week before Killian was due to come for his yearly visit, Emma had been passing by her parents' bedroom and heard them speaking in hushed tones.

Her curiosity had immediately been piqued, and she pressed closer to the door, struggling to hear.

"After Bridget…after she…after everything that happened," Mama began, sounding as though she were crying. "He just _left_ them? There on the ship with no one but the crew of sailors?"

"Worse than that!" Papa had said through gritted teeth. "He sold them to the captain; made them into _slaves,_ essentially!"

And then Papa had let loose a string of expletives the likes of which Emma had only heard among his more boisterous knights when they didn't know she'd crept down to the lists to watch them train. Emma had never, _ever_ heard her father this angry.

It was unsettling to say the least.

That night her father had set out on a journey. Neither Mama nor Papa would say anything about it, and Papa was (uncharacteristically) very distracted as he bid her farewell. Normally Emma might try to ferret answers out of her parents—or at least their closest man and maid servants—but the strange feeling of…dread…that had descended on their castle left Emma deciding it would probably be in her best interest to stay out of this one.

Things were tense at the castle for the following week. Finally, on the eighth day after her Papa left on his journey, a dove came to the sitting room, where Mama attempted to read, and Emma was (unhappily) doing her lessons with Belle. Mama read the letter the dove brought her, and finally, finally smiled again.

Emma hadn't realized how much she'd missed her mother's smile until it returned that morning. It was like the sun finally burst forth after days and days of gray, cloudy skies.

That evening after suppertime, Mama had pulled her aside, taking her out to the stables to visit the horses.

"Emma," Mama said hesitantly. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"I didn't do it!" Emma said quickly, holding her hands up in surrender.

Mama chuckled. "Didn't do what, honey?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know, Mama," she said, "but usually when you get serious it means I'm in trouble, and I haven't done _anything_ bad in _days_. Honest!"

Mama wrapped her arms around Emma, chuckled again, and then kissed the top of her head. "I know baby. You've been a very good girl. That's not what I needed to talk to you about."

"What, then?"

Mama sat on the stable bench and patted the seat beside her. "Something happened a couple of weeks ago, Emma," Mama said, and her voice sounded sad, as though she were about to cry. "Something really sad."

"What happened, Mama?"

"Killian's mama…" Mama began. She cleared her throat and then started again. "Killian's mama got sick. Very, very sick. The healers tried to make her better, but…well, in the end she passed away."

Emma gasped, feeling instantly sorry for Killian. She didn't know what she would do if she _ever_ lost her mama.

"Killian's papa was very, very sad," Mama continued, "and he did some bad things…some things that made the soldiers want to take him to prison. He decided to run away, and he took Liam and Killian with him on his ship."

"So…" Emma began hesitantly, "does that mean Killian's going to be on a ship this summer and not come for his visit?"

Emma thought she'd be happy at the prospect of a summer without the annoying boy coming for a visit, but somehow all she felt was sadness for him.

"Not…exactly," Mama said. She frowned fiercely for a moment, and then deliberately smoothed out her features. "The soldiers who wanted Killian's papa found him, and he…he ran away again. He left Liam and Killian behind and he promised the ship's captain the boys would work for him; that they would _belong_ to him."

"That's not fair!" Emma said, suddenly angry on behalf of the boy she normally couldn't stand.

"No, honey it's not," Mama said. "When your father found out about it he was very, very angry, and so was I. Your papa decided to find the ship and save Liam and Killian from the bad captain."

"And did he find them?"

Mama nodded, smiling once again like she had in the morning. "He did. He found them, and he's made sure nothing bad can happen to them again."

"Good," Emma said with a decisive nod.

Mama was silent for a moment, looking intensely at Emma. "There's one more thing, Emma."

"What?"

"I know you and Killian don't always get along, but…well, Liam and Killian have nowhere to go now. They've lost both their mama and their papa. Your father and I have decided that they will be our wards until they become grownups."

"Wards?" Emma asked, her brow furrowing. "What does that mean, Mama?"

"It means, Emma that we will be taking care of them," Mama said firmly. "Liam is fifteen now, and your father and I have decided to allow him to become a cabin boy in our royal navy, but Killian is only ten. He's too young to work on a ship."

Mama took a deep breath as though steeling herself. "Emma, Killian will be living with us here at the castle until he's old enough to join his brother in the navy."

Emma groaned. "Killian will be here _all the time_? Mama, that will be _terrible_!"

"Now Emma," Mama said firmly, "let's have none of that. Killian is probably very sad right now and he needs people to make him feel better. I need you to be nice to Killian. I need you to help him get over his sadness. Can you do that for me?"

Emma frowned for another moment, hardly ready to resign herself to the fact that she'd be with her nemesis day in and day out, not just for a week in the summer. But Emma ultimately knew her mama was right. Killian _would_ need a friend now—much more than he needed someone to bicker and fight with him.

"Okay Mama," she said. "I can do that."

"That's my kind little Swan Princess," Mama crooned, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Now that that's settled, how about we take Buttercup out for a quick ride before the sun goes down?"

 _Notes_ :

- _So that got kind of sad there at the end! Sorry about that! (Will you forgive me if I promise that's the worst angst we'll get in this story?)_

 _-Up next: Killian comes to live at the castle, and he and Emma find that they actually_ can _be friends if they make up their minds to._


	3. Chapter 3

Ten-year-old Killian sat on the edge of the bed in his brand new bedchamber, his head bowed and his hands clasped loosely between his knees. This room at King David and Queen Snow's castle was familiar to him; he'd stayed here during each of his previous visits to the castle.

But he wasn't a visitor anymore; this was now his home.

This bedchamber was grand—with a soft, comfortable bed, a wardrobe full of clothing, a magnificent mahogany bookcase filled with all the books he could desire—books on ships and sailing, books on knighthood, biographies of the greatest heroes of the Enchanted Forest, thrilling tales of heroics and adventure. Killian had every creature comfort he could possibly wish.

And yet, Killian wished with all his might that he could go back to his old, simple life. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for the King and Queen and all they had done for him; he was. He very definitely was. He'd never in his life felt such relief and gratitude as when he saw King David arrive on Captain Silver's ship and demand the cruel man release the Jones boys from slavery.

It was just…over the past month, it felt like Killian's whole life had crumbled down upon him. First Mama died…and then Papa left…and then he and Liam were trapped on that horrid ship…and then just yesterday he'd lost Liam too. Liam wasn't gone for _good_ , of course. He'd just become a sailor in King David's navy, but he'd be gone for long months at a time, so he was as good as gone from Killian's life—at least until Killian was old enough to join him.

In one month, Killian had left his entire family. He felt the tears prick behind his eyes again, but he took a deep breath and then let it out, determined not to cry again. He'd cried enough in the last month to fill up a lifetime.

Suddenly there was a tentative tap at his bedroom door.

"Come in," Killian called in a dull voice, and then he felt his ire rise when he saw who was on the other side of the heavy wooden door.

"Killian?" Emma asked in an uncharacteristically tentative voice. "Can…can I come in?"

Killian frowned. "Princess," he said, "I…I'm not in the mood to argue with you today."

"Good," Emma said, breezing into his room and plopping down beside him on his bed, "because I didn't come to argue."

"Emma, that's all we _ever_ do," Killian pointed out.

"Uh-uh!" Emma protested. "There was that one time I punched you in the face!"

Killian rolled his eyes. "See? We're _already_ arguing."

Emma frowned for a moment, then took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay, maybe we are, but I really didn't come here to argue with you, Killian."

"Why did you come, then."

"It's just," she began, picking at a loose thread on the duvet on his bed, "I know you're sad and a lot of bad things have happened, and…well, I thought, maybe you could use a friend."

Well _that_ was unexpected! Killian shot the little girl beside him an incredulous look. "You want to be _friends_ with me? Why? You _hate_ me."

"I don't _hate_ you, Killian," Emma insisted, "and before you even say it, I'm not trying to argue again! But I _don't_ hate you. You're just…annoying sometimes, but I guess maybe sometimes I am too."

"You've got that right, lass."

She glared at him, and Killian found himself wanting to smile for the first time in this whole disastrous month.

"I'm going to pretend like you didn't say that."

"Why?" he taunted playfully. "I was just agreeing with you, Emma. Isn't that what people are supposed to do when they're _not_ arguing with each other?"

She gave him one more quick glare that had his lips twitching to smile again, and then she gave it up and smiled back at him. "I guess so, but you don't have to be so enthusiastic about it."

Killian laughed.

"Very well," Killian said with a nod after he'd calmed once again, "so you would like to be friends. Why, princess? Are you just…pitying me?"

Emma shook her head. "No, that's not it. It's just, well, now that you are living here all the time and not just for a week in the summer, I thought maybe we should try to get along. Better to be friends if we have to be around each other every day, than to be enemies."

"Good idea," he said. "So what is it that friends _do?_ "

"Well, I know how much you like the water and sailing and everything," Emma said. "How about we go down to the docks and look at Papa's ships? It's terribly hot today; maybe we could even go to the beach and wade in the surf."

Killian gave her a skeptical look. "Are you quite sure your papa would allow his precious Swan Princess to go all the way to the docks without adult supervision? I remember a couple of times last summer you got in trouble for wandering off on your own."

Emma let out a huff of air that ruffled the hair on her forehead. "Papa worries _way_ too much! I'm a big girl now; nine-years-old, and he and Mama have been teaching me how to defend myself. Still…you're probably right. Mama said I could invite Princess Elsa to come for a visit if I'm good, so it would probably be better if I don't get in trouble right now."

Killian smiled. "Well…it was nice of you to suggest it anyway," Killian said tentatively. "I think it would have been fun to go down to the docks and the beach."

"Well then let's do it!" Emma insisted. "I don't really understand why you love the water so much, but maybe you can show me? Besides, we won't go alone. I'm sure I can get Graham to agree to go with us."

"Who's Graham?"

"He's one of my mother's most loyal guards," Emma answered. "A long time ago, when Grandma Regina was trying to get revenge on Mama, she ordered Graham to kill Mama, but he wouldn't do it. When Grandma Regina found out about it, she got really mad and took away his heart so she could control him. But then, when Mama offered Grandma Regina another chance and she took it, she gave Graham back his heart. Graham's been one of Mama's personal body guards ever since."

"Okay!" Killian said, after a moment. "If you don't think we'll get in trouble, let's go down to the ocean! And just you wait, Princess Emma! One of these days I'll have you liking the water so much you'll even ask me to teach you to swim!"

"Maybe," Emma said skeptically, getting to her feet and turning toward the bedroom door, "but don't forget, Killian! If we're friends we have to do things I like sometimes too!"

Killian groaned. "Don't tell me we're going to have to have another tea party with all your stuffed animals!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly," she said. "I don't like having dumb tea parties any more than you do. I just made you play tea party with me last summer because I thought it would annoy you. I like my sword training and my archery training _much_ better than playing with dolls or stuffed animals. Maybe I could talk Papa into letting you train with me too!"

Killian's smile widened. "That would be splendid! You know, Swan Princess, I think I'm going to enjoy being friends with you!"

 _Notes:_

 _-It's been a crazy week! I actually almost forgot about Fluffy Fridays!_

 _-In case you couldn't figure it out from the first few parts of this story, a tiny bit of background about what's the same and what's different from canon: In my version of events, Killian and his family obviously lived a couple hundred years later than he did in canon, thus he and Liam never even met the unscrupulous king that sent them after dream shade (and Killian never met Milah—thus there's no feud between him and Rumple). With regard to everyone else, everything pretty much happened as it did in canon up until Snow and Charming defeat Regina just before their official marriage. Where the change comes in is in the events of 2x10 (The Cricket Game). In the past portion of that episode, Snow and Charming capture Regina and at first plan to execute her. At the last moment, Snow insists they can't do that; they need to give her one last chance to turn away from her vengeance. In canon, Regina refuses that chance and continues full speed ahead with her plans for revenge, but in_ this _story, she makes a different choice. Snow lets Regina out of her cell, and Regina realizes that her hatred and revenge don't—and won't ever—make her happy, and she turns her life around. Because of that, the curse is never cast._

 _-In the next few chapters, you'll see a little bit more about how that change affected the main characters—particularly Regina and Rumple._

 _-So, I decided to stop before I got to young teenage Emma and Killian. This chapter was already at 1000 words, and I figure the young teen part will take a full chapter to tell anyway. So now the plan for this story is for it to be 5 chapters and an epilogue._

 _-Up next: Killian and Emma continue their friendship, but by the time they're 16 and 15 respectively, Killian's feelings for Emma have started to change. Emma's still content with their friendship as it is, and doesn't know what to think about this change in Killian. Luckily she has her best friend, Princess Elsa to confide in._


	4. Chapter 4

The day at the beach seemed to thaw the ice considerably, and before the summer was out Emma and Killian were fast friends. Killian didn't know how he would have made it through that first difficult year after losing his family without Emma. The king and queen were kind and, well, wonderful, and he dearly loved the times Liam was home on leave, but nothing compared to having a true friend who would listen when he needed to talk.

Or who could always be counted on to devise a bout of mischief which required his assistance. On the days when it all became too much and his red-rimmed eyes proved that he'd been unable to hold back the tears during the night, these escapades were a particularly welcome diversion.

(Killian half suspected the king and the queen let him and Emma get by with far more mischief than would any other authority figure, simply because they could see how much he needed something that would give him joy.)

The fact was, Killian and Emma were kindred spirits. He could read her like one of his books, and she always, without fail, knew exactly what to say or do to soothe him.

They were great friends; the best of friends, but friendship was all they shared, neither of them yet ready for anything more tender—with anyone.

Until the day that all suddenly changed eight years later…

The castle was in a flurry of activity on that particular afternoon. Not only was Liam's ship returning for an entire month's leave the following day, but Princess Elsa—no _Queen_ Elsa, she'd just been coronated the year before—was coming for her first visit of state.

(Well…that was her official reason for her travels. Unofficially, Killian knew full well Elsa was coming to visit her dear friend Emma.)

The king and queen wanted all to be in order for the historic visit, and thus the maids were scouring the castle from top to bottom.

"Wanna go down to the beach for a picnic?" fifteen-year-old Emma asked, coming up behind Killian in the stables as he finished brushing down his horse, Westley. (Well, technically he wasn't _Killian's_ horse, but the king and queen had been so kind as to allow him to ride the creature anytime he liked.)

Killian grinned. "Getting tired of all the activity, Swan?" (He'd begun calling her Swan Princess mockingly during the first week he'd visited over the summer, having heard her father use the endearment. Over the years, the appellation had gradually changed from mocking to fond and been shortened to simply "Swan".)

Emma sighed and threw herself dramatically onto the bench next to Killian. "It's crazy!" she groused. "You'd think Elsa's _never_ visited before! It's just _Elsa_!"

"Your parents want to show your childhood friend that they respect her as the sovereign of Arendelle, love," Killian said. "It's all a part of diplomacy."

Emma closed her eyes and shook her head. "But does the entire castle have to be turned upside-down because of it? I think I'm about to go as mad as Jefferson the hatter!"

Killian laughed, the sound carefree and joyous. "Can't have that, Swan. Very well. A picnic at the beach it is. Just give me a moment to saddle Buttercup and Westley."

Emma shook her head. "Can't take Buttercup today. She's lost a shoe and can't be ridden until the blacksmith's able to replace it. Can we double up on Westley?"

Killian shrugged. "As you wish."

Within a quarter of an hour Killian had his horse saddled and ready to go, and Emma had successfully wheedled their cook, Granny, into providing them a picnic lunch.

With everything prepared, Killian tossed the meal and the picnic blanket into the saddle bag, mounted his stallion, and then extended his hand to help Emma mount behind him. As Swan settled her arms around his middle and he clicked his tongue to set Westley into motion, Killian felt the most peculiar swoop in his stomach.

It wasn't unpleasant, per se, but…it wasn't the sort of thing Killian had ever felt before. Nor had he ever noticed Emma's gentle scent of lavender and vanilla…or the very pleasant feeling of her slim arms around him…or the press of her body, soft against his back. It was…almost mesmerizing.

And then Emma started in on a tale of the trick she'd played on Grumpy earlier that morning, and suddenly the spell was broken. This was Swan, his Swan, his best friend. There was no need to feel strange around her.

They made it to their favorite stretch of beach and spread their blanket on the sand just beyond the reach of the tide. The pair ate the bread, cheese and fruit Emma had procured in relative silence.

"You must be looking forward to Queen Elsa's arrival, Swan," Killian said once lunch was consumed.

Emma smiled. "Yeah, I am, but what about you? Liam gets back tomorrow doesn't he? Bet you can't wait!"

"A whole month with my brother, love!" Killian said, smiling broadly. "I can scarcely remember when he's had such a long leave!"

Emma reached over and stroked his arm affectionately, and there it was again, that strange swoop of his stomach, the quick racing of his heart. Her touch felt like a bolt of lightning, jolting something inside him he didn't even know existed.

"I'm happy for you," Emma said somberly.

Killian looked over at her and noticed her staring pensively out to the ocean. She didn't look happy. She looked downright melancholy. Killian knew Swan well enough to realize prodding her would do little to get her to open up. Emma would tell him what was bothering her in her own good time.

And so, for long minutes the only sounds to be heard along the beach were the crying of the gulls, the soothing rush of the sea ebbing and flowing on the beach.

Finally Emma turned her green eyes his way. "Is it true, the rumor I heard?"

Killian grinned. "Well, that would depend love. Exactly what rumor was it you heard?"

"I heard that when Liam returns to his ship in a month you'll be joining him."

Killian grimaced, scratching at the back of his ear. "I've meant to tell you, Swan, a million times, but…the time just never seemed right."

"So it is true," Emma said dully. "You are planning to leave me?"

Killian's heart twisted—this time in a decidedly unpleasant way—at the way her voice broke on the last word. "It isn't like that at all, love!" he protested. "But…you know the plan was always for me to join my brother one day. Now that he's been promoted to Lieutenant, his ship will be needing a sailor to take his place. I must admit the sea calls to me, and the opportunity to be with Liam always…"

She turned toward him again, a gentle smile gracing rather lovely features. "I understand, Killian. I really do. This will be an extraordinary opportunity for you, and I'm happy for you. It's just…well, I'll miss my best friend, that's all."

"And I'll miss you, Emma," he insisted, "but we've got a full month before I first sail. What say we enjoy the time we have left together, aye?"

"Yeah, I think we should," Emma said, reaching over and squeezing his hand affectionately. (This time it was like a million tiny butterflies dancing in his stomach.)

But Killian didn't realize just how much trouble he was in until Emma decided to unbind her long, blonde hair. Killian knew Emma found the braids and buns and other hairstyles expected of ladies of her station to be constricting, and she let her hair flow free whenever she could get by with it. This had never affected him before, but today…well, there was something about the way the sea breeze whipped the golden strands, the way the locks whipped around to land on his forearm, the way the sun glinted off her lovely hair and illuminated her like an angel.

For a moment he could only stare, open mouthed, his breath caught in his lungs. Somehow, without him realizing it, his childhood friend had grown into a young woman.

An extraordinarily beautiful young woman.

Killian had no idea how long he sat their frozen in admiration as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest—and he felt a strange mix of elation and fear—but after some moments, Emma shot him a strange look.

"Um…are you feeling okay, Killian?"

He shook his head, and then forced an easy smile onto his face. He hadn't a clue how to deal with these brand new feelings—whatever they were, and perhaps they were better examined later as he lay alone in his bed. "Aye, Swan. Fit as a fiddle."

She gave him a long, assessing looking, and Killian had to fight the urge to squirm under her scrutiny. Eventually, however she merely shrugged and broke eye contact. "Well, if you say so. Anyway, remember how we used to come out here when we were kids and stare up at the sky? Remember how we used to look at the clouds and talk about the shapes we saw? Maybe we could do that again and just, you know, forget about you leaving, at least for an afternoon?"

He smiled, a smile mixed with fondness and joy. "Whatever you wish Swan." Killian laid back against the blanket and peered up into the sky. "That one, for example, is a ship of the line, plain as day!"

Emma looked in the direction his finger was pointing, and then very audibly scoffed. "A ship of the line? Killian, I'm beginning to think you need spectacles just like Granny! That doesn't look anything like a ship. It's very clearly a giant stooping down to pick something up!"

And with that, the afternoon passed in playful debate. While they argued over cloud shapes and reminisced about past escapades, Killian could almost forget the strange waves of awareness his dearest friend had begun to inspire within him.

But when the sunset began to paint the western sky in brilliant pinks and purples and oranges, and Emma climbed onto Westley behind Killian, it all rushed in upon him once more. As Killian let his horse have his head and he felt Swan's hair caress his arms, felt her lay her head against his back, felt her soft curves against him, felt her slim arms wrapped firmly around him, he realized that something had changed between them…and Killian knew he would never be the same again.

 _Notes_ :

 _-Okay, so as usual, I wasn't able to get to as much as I planned to in this chapter. What else is new? On the brink of taking his place next to his brother in the navy, Killian suddenly starts to see his childhood friend in a new light._

 _-Up next: We'll see what Emma thinks about what happened on the picnic as she has a nice girl-talk session with Queen Elsa. Meanwhile, when Liam gets Killian to open up about what's on_ his _mind, big brother helps him realize just what all those weird feelings were about. And while the first stirrings of puppy love might be a confusing minefield for Emma and Killian to wade through, another couple doesn't have nearly as much difficulty…_


	5. Chapter 5

Killian had very little time to ponder the strange new feelings he was having for his best friend in the coming days. The very day after the picnic on the beach, Liam's ship came in, and Killian's world zeroed in on his brother and hero.

Having received word that _The Jewel of the Realm_ was spotted only a few miles out, Killian raced to the docks with the enthusiasm of a young child faced with the prospect of a pile of gifts. It had been too long, too _bloody_ long since he'd seen Liam, and he couldn't wait. Killian had briefly considered asking Emma if she wanted to accompany him to the docks, but she was in a flurry of activity preparing for Elsa's imminent arrival a few days later.

And then there was the matter of the strange shyness that had suddenly descended on him at the thought of Emma. He'd never given it a second thought before when he'd spoken to her or asked for her company, but now…well now, it would _matter_ if she declined his invitation.

At the thought of Swan, Killian felt his heartrate pick up and a silly grin draped his face. He stared sightlessly out at the horizon, remembering the delicate feel of her hair brushing against his arm, her soft lavender scent, the music of her laughter, the way her eyes sparkled as she spoke in animation…

"Are you going to stand there admiring the sunrise all day, little brother, or are you going to welcome me home?" Liam's voice boomed from the dinghy that had just pulled up to the docks.

Killian jolted back to reality, and then let his grin blossom into a full-blown smile. Rushing forward, he pulled Liam into his arms, slapping his back a time or two, laughing in delight, thrilled to be reunited with his last remaining family.

"Welcome back Liam! And that's 'younger brother' to you!"

Liam ruffled Killian's hair playfully, laughing with him. "It's good to see you _younger_ brother! Now, if you'll excuse me, the longboat will be arriving on shore momentarily and I've got a distinguished guest to deliver to the king and queen.

Killian craned his neck around his brother to peer at the boat approaching at a rapid rate. In addition to the sailors bringing the vessel in, Killian clearly spotted a woman who appeared to be some manner of lady's maid and…and was that…

"Queen Elsa?" Killian asked his brother, his eyebrows raised to his forehead. "Your distinguished passenger was Queen Elsa of Arendelle?"

Liam's smile gentled as he looked out to sea and watched the lady herself arrive. "The very same, brother. King David wanted to surprise Princess Emma and arranged for the _Jewel_ to make an unexpected stop in Arendelle to collect the queen. The remainder of her retinue will arrive at the expected time two days hence, but Elsa simply could not wait to see her childhood friend once again."

Killian shot his brother a suspicious look. It was quite familiar to refer to a queen of the realm by her given name alone. He shrugged it off after a moment. It hardly mattered.

"Swan will be overjoyed," he assured. "She's been looking forward to the queen's visit for weeks."

This time it was Liam's turn to look closely at his brother. After a moment a teasing grin lit up his face. "Swan, is it? It seems the pot is calling the kettle black when it comes to addressing the royalty with informality. Could my little brother, the one who would grouse and complain for days leading up to his visits to King David and Queen Snow's castle, truly be referring to Princess Emma with such fondness?"

Killian felt his face flame. He ducked his head, scratching behind his ear. "Leave off, Liam! You know Emma and I have become friends."

"Friends, is it?" Liam asked, tone still playfully teasing. "Is it your feelings of friendship that stain your cheeks and the tips of your ears that delightful shade of red? If I didn't know better, I'd say you've come to fancy the lovely 'Swan Princess'!"

"Of course not!" Killian blustered, but then withered under his brother's knowing stare. "Well, perhaps I have. I hardly know. It's all so sudden and confusing and I dare say I haven't a clue what these new feelings are. I merely know that I cannot stop thinking of her soft hair, her beguiling eyes, her wit and vivacity, and it leaves me breathless in a way I haven't ever been before."

Liam clapped Killian comfortingly on the back. "It sounds as though you, little brother, are perilously close to tumbling head first into love."

Killian was (mercifully) saved from having to reply to this observation by the arrival of the long boat. Killian peered toward the now-docked vessel to note Queen Elsa, robed splendidly in a sky-blue dress, a small, silver tiara topping her braided hair. Her blue eyes shown as she looked up into Liam's face…and a small blush painted her cheeks.

Perhaps Killian wasn't the only one recently pierced by one of cupid's arrows. It would seem the queen was rather afflicted as well…and judging by the tender look in Liam's eyes, the gentle sweep of his thumb against the back of Elsa's hand as he helped her from the boat, it would seem the queen's feelings were reciprocated.

Interesting that!

Perhaps before the month was out, Liam could give him pointers on how a gentleman comported himself around a lady who'd caught his fancy. Heaven knew Killain currently felt like nothing quite so much as a bumbling fool when it came to his Swan.

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

Emma sat in her bedchamber, gazing out upon the early morning sunrise, enjoying the summer breeze against her face, and letting her mind wander. She wasn't one to sit idle and daydream, but…well, she hardly even know what to make of her afternoon with Killian the day before.

It had begun normal enough. They'd talked and laughed as they set out for their picnic just as they always did, but as the afternoon had dragged on, she'd noticed him giving her strange looks. His eyes seemed very…intense. He'd never looked at her like that before, and it made her want to squirm where she'd sat, there on the blanket.

It wasn't an _unpleasant_ sensation just…well she didn't know how to describe it. With his bright blue eyes trained on her with such…tenderness, she was suddenly hyper-aware of his handsome features, the stubble on his cheeks, the way the wind whipped at his dark hair, the way his graceful hands fidgeted against the picnic blanket.

Why had she never noticed how incredibly handsome he'd become?

Emma shook her head, willing away the confusing thoughts. Killian was her friend. Her _friend_. She wasn't about to throw that away because of strange and confusing feelings beginning to swirl deep within.

A knock on her bedroom door brought merciful relief from Emma's swirling thoughts. Getting to her feet, she tossed a dressing gown over her nightgown, stepped into soft slippers and made her way toward the door.

Emma squealed in delight when she opened the door to reveal a smiling Elsa on the other side. Rushing forward, she wrapped her best female friend in a hug and then pulled her into the bedroom.

"Elsa! What are you doing here? You weren't due to arrive for another two days!" Emma said. "Not that I'm complaining; it's been _way_ too long since we've gotten to see each other, and you have to tell me _all_ about the coronation and becoming queen and…"

Elsa laughed, holding up a finger to Emma's lips. "I don't think I've ever seen you so excited, Emma," she said. "I should surprise you more often!"

Emma led her friend to one of the chairs in the "sitting room" portion of her room and then plopped down into the other. Elsa was a couple of years older than she, but ever since they'd met at Emma's fourth birthday party, the two had been fast friends.

Confusing new feelings aside for the moment, Emma dearly loved Killian's friendship, but there was something different, something special in the bond between girlfriends. She'd been looking forward to Elsa's arrival ever since it had been planned, and she couldn't believe the day had finally arrived—and two days earlier than expected, no less!

"So _how_ are you here?" Emma asked again. "I thought you told me with the schedule of Arendelle's ships, you wouldn't be able to make it until later. Did one of your ships return sooner than expected?"

To Emma's surprise, Elsa dropped her eyes, a secret smile playing across her lips as her cheeks tinted pink. "No," she said finally. "It was your father, actually. He wished to surprise you, and sent the _Jewel of the Realm_ to Arendelle to provide me passage. The captain and…and…Liam were so kind as to see to my every need while we travelled."

Emma grinned, starting to get an idea of the cause of her friend's strange behavior. "Liam?" she asked gently, "As in Liam Jones? _Lieutenant_ Liam Jones?"

"Well of course, Emma!" Elsa said, "what other Liam sails on the _Jewel_?"

"None that I know!" Emma said with a laugh. "I just find it very interesting that my best friend, sovereign queen in her own right, spurns decorum and calls a sailor in the royal navy by his given name. It sounds like something I would do, but never the prim and proper Queen Elsa!"

Elsa's blush only deepened. "I don't mean to be im _proper_ ," she said. "It's just…Liam and I spent quite a bit of time together. On the second day of our journey we found ourselves becalmed at sea and there was little for the lieutenant to do until the wind picked up again. He…he found me sitting on deck, staring across the water, and…we struck up a conversation."

"It must have been quite a conversation…."

"Yes," Elsa said with a smile. "Liam's…he's fascinating. He has so many stories of his voyages and the lands he's traveled. He has a kindness and gentility that I've rarely met before, and he listened as I spoke. Listened and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say—not because I was the queen or because he wanted something from me, simply because he enjoyed my company."

Emma smiled, easily reading between the lines. "And it doesn't hurt that he's quite handsome either, right?"

"No," Elsa said, her smile blooming farther. "I must admit that it doesn't."

"You _like_ him, Elsa!" Emma said, clapping her hands. "That's _great!_ You two would be _perfect_ together! You're both so serious and so insistent on following the rules and so formal!"

Elsa playfully swatted her. "We can be carefree and informal too!"

Emma shot her a sly look. "So…does Liam know how you feel? Are you a couple now? Has he _kissed_ you yet?"

"Emma!" Elsa gasped. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell!"

"So he _has_ kissed you?!"

"No!" Elsa said, looking as distinctly flustered as Emma had ever seen her. "Well, not really, anyway. He did kiss my hand once and it was…" Elsa sighed happily. "It was quite possibly the most romantic moment of my life. I…I _think_ he may have feelings for me too, but we haven't _discussed_ anything."

Impulsively Emma leaned over and hugged her friend. "Well the two of you are both here at the castle for the next month. Who knows what might happen in that time!"

"Who indeed?" Elsa agreed, hugging Emma back. "Speaking of the Joneses, how's that brother of his—other than what I already saw: so happy to have his brother back he can hardly contain himself?"

This time, Emma felt the heat in _her_ cheeks and turned away quickly, not entirely sure she was ready to tell Elsa about what was going on with Killian—not even sure she _knew_ what was going on with Killian.

"Oh, Emma!" Elsa said with a frown. "Don't tell me you and Killian are _fighting_ again! You'd become such good friends!"

Emma shook her head quickly and then cleared her throat. "No! It's nothing like that! It's just…well, things are…weird right now."

"Weird how?"

Emma sighed. Whether she was ready for this conversation or not, it looked like she was about to have it. "Yesterday we had a picnic and suddenly things were just… _different_. He kept giving me this…I don't know…almost _longing_ look (either that or he was starting to get nauseated…)"

Elsa laughed. "I think we can safely rule out nausea. I think that man must have an iron stomach given the sheer volume and variety of the food he consumes! No, I think you were probably closer with the 'longing'."

Emma felt her embarrassment bubble up, and she dropped her eyes, focusing her energies on picking at a loose thread in her bathrobe. "You think he…you know…has _feelings_ for me?"

Elsa caressed Emma's arm. "I'm almost sure of it, Emma. I've seen the fond way he's looked at you for some time. I don't think he was aware of it at the time, but I've been convinced for a while that your parents' hope for a love match between you two is much less far-fetched than it seemed when you were younger."

Emma felt her heartrate spike and the fear flood her at her friend's use of the "l" word. That was far, far too much! Whatever these feelings were…she wasn't ready for _that_ yet!

"Elsa!"

"What?" her friend asked calmly. "Are you telling me you _don't_ have feelings for Killian?"

"Yes!" Emma said vehemently before looking aside. "I mean…no….I mean…I don't know. Elsa, _I don't even know how I feel!_ All I know is that things suddenly got complicated and confusing and I don't know what to do with it. I…I don't even know how to act around him now, and I kind of hate it!"

"Why?" Elsa asked gently.

"Because…." Emma started, digging deeply within herself to find the truth. "Because Killian's my dearest friend…other than you, of course…things with him were _good_. Our friendship was _easy_ / Now…well, now things are just weird. I _can't_ lose his friendship; I just _can't_."

Elsa leaned over and hugged Emma again. "I hardly think _that's_ going to happen. You and Killian have a bond of friendship stronger than any I've seen. Whether or not anything happens with these new feelings you're having, that's something I'm absolutely sure of."

"I hope you're right," Emma said, the worry still present in her voice.

Elsa laughed. "Of course I am. I'm older and wiser than you!"

Emma rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Between you and Killian and Liam and me, I think there's one thing we can say for sure," Elsa continued. "This coming month is going to be _anything_ but boring!"

 _Notes:_

 _-I don't know why I make plans about how much I want to accomplish in any given chapter; I think I always bite off more than I can chew, lol! I had hoped to get to a scene where Emma and Killian discuss their growing awareness of each other, but the conversations with Elsa and Liam, respectively took far too much space._

 _-Up next: On the night before Elsa (and Liam and Killian) set sail, the Charmings hold a royal ball. This time Emma doesn't punch Killian in the face…but the two of them_ do _have a rather interesting conversation that may or may not end with some facial contact of a different sort… (No, really! It may or may not; I haven't decided exactly whether or not I want to go there yet!) I'd like to also bring in a scene introducing the complication (and/or "villain") of the story, but let's be real; the chances of me actually getting there in the next chapter are rather slim._

 _-Also: I have fallen ridiculously behind in responding to reviews and comments, and I'm terribly sorry! I will get to them as soon as life slows down a little more, but in the meantime, know that I am so very, very grateful every single time someone takes the time to send me feedback (on this or any of my stories)!_


	6. Chapter 6

Emma's last month with Killian passed with a swiftness she wouldn't have believed possible. It had been an idyllic summer, full of picnics, carriage rides and outings of all sorts. The pair generally started out their daily excursions in a pleasant foursome with Liam and Elsa, but as Killian's brother and Emma's dearest friend became ever closer, it became increasingly more uncomfortable to spend any significant amount of time with them.

Before Emma knew it, it was suddenly here, the day before the Jones brothers were to set sail on their new deployment. They'd accompany Elsa home to Arendelle first, and then they'd join two other ships of the line at the border of Camelot. It was said the new king, Arthur Pendragon was behaving in a suspicious manner—something having to do with Sands of Avalon or some such thing, apparently—and Emma's father wanted to make it clear to the "once and future king" that he intended to brook no attack on the Enchanted Forest. The result was that the Jones brothers would be away for a _minimum_ of six months and most likely a full year.

How Emma was to survive without the man whose friendship meant more to her than all the gold in her family's treasury was beyond her.

Emma sighed gently as the early autumn breeze caressed her face and the increasingly more colorful leaves of the tree above her.

"Something troubling you, love?" Killian asked, idly reaching over to toy with her fingers. He'd always been physically affectionate with her, but he seemed to seek her touch even more ever since the day she'd noticed him giving her those strange yearning looks. Emma hadn't a clue what to think of it. Part of her thrilled to the feel of his large, calloused hand in hers, felt a spark like lightning travel from whatever point of impact he was making straight through to her heart. But part of her wanted to run as far from his touch as possible. Life was _so_ much easier when they were both carefree children for whom the thought of romance hadn't even crossed their minds.

"No, not really," Emma said, her voice sounding unconvinced even to her own ears.

"Come now, Swan," Killian said, turning to her with a teasing grin. "I've been your closest confidante for nigh on a decade now. Surely you realize you're an open book to me. I know when you're prevaricating, and you, love, are most definitely prevaricating."

Emma reached over with her free hand and playfully swatted his shoulder. "What _is_ it with you and your big words? You sound like some sort of university professor rather than a sailor."

"One does not become an officer in your father's prestigious navy without a certain degree of learning, Swan," Killian said, "and as I plan to one day follow in my esteemed brother's footsteps and become an officer like him, I've done all in my power to prepare myself."

Emma looked closely at Killian, noting the hint of self-doubt that so often seemed to plague him. "You listen to me, Killian Jones," she said fiercely. "You are as smart and as capable and as courageous as any man in my father's military! You have no need to look up to _anyone_ , save maybe Liam. You'll be captain one day, mark my words!"

Spontaneously, Killian leaned over and kissed her cheek, then, he abruptly froze, eyes widened comically, evidently suddenly aware of what he'd just done. Killian sat back quickly, dropped his eyes to the blanket on which they sat, and promptly blushed to the very tips of his ears. Reaching up, he scratched at the back of his ear, mumbling. "I apologize for my forwardness, Swan."

Emma felt her own cheeks heat at the gentle kiss, really no more than a brush of his lips against her cheek. Her heart beat so hard, she feared it would leap right out of her chest, and she was suddenly hyper-aware of the bright blue of Killian's eyes, the scruff along his jaw, the fresh, clean scent of his hair. This was…confusing and awkward and…she didn't know if she liked it.

Part of her wanted to grab his lapels and haul him in for a proper kiss just to see if his lips would feel as soft and velvety against her own as they did against her cheek. Part of her lamented the fact that the easy, uncomplicated friendship the two of them shared for so long was at a definitive end.

Killian cleared his throat. "You never answered my original question; not really, at least. What trouble's you, lass?"

Emma shrugged, the pain of the impending separation washing over her again. "I just…Killian, you'll be gone an entire year, most likely. I know this is what you want; it's your dream to sail the realm with your brother, and I'd never try to stop you or talk you out of it, but…I will miss you _terribly_."

His face became soft, tender. Raising one large hand, he cupped her cheek, letting a few silky strands of her hair glide through his fingers. "And I you, Swan. A year will feel like an eternity apart from you, my love."

 _My love?!_ Had Killian just called her _his_ love? That was enough to have her scramble abruptly back to her side of the blanket. (Did she _thrill_ to the sound of the endearment…or want to get as far away from it as humanly possible? She didn't know!)

Killian seemed to realize what he'd said a moment after it left his lips, and, if possible, his blush grew even deeper. He cleared his throat, scratched at that offending place behind his ear once more, and then turned a deliberately carefree grin in her direction. "But fear not, Emma, the year will rush by, and I'll write to you every week—twice a week when I'm able. Just think about all the adventures I'll have to share with you when I return!"

Emma smiled, grateful he'd pulled back to a place of easy friendship, letting the potentially romantic moment go for the time being. "And I'll write you to. It'll be…"

Abruptly, Emma cut off, as Elsa and Liam, on their own blanket some twenty feet away from them, caught her eye. Liam leaned down, capturing Elsa's lips with his own, his hand going for her hair as she reached up to pull him closer to her.

Noticing the direction of Emma's gaze, Killian grinned and then averted his eyes. He got gracefully to his feet, and then offered Emma his hand to help her do the same. "It would appear our company is no longer needed nor desired, love. What say we go make sure our carriage is ready to take us back to the palace? I've no doubt you ladies will wish to get back soon in order to don whatever frills and baubles you wish to wear to this evening's ball.

And with that, the two returned to the horses, talking and laughing as only old friends can, the strange tension and intimacy of the afternoon nearly forgotten.

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d

The farewell ball for the sailors of the _Jewell of the Realm_ was one of the most splendid Killian had ever seen. Killian was humbled at all the trouble King David and Queen Snow had gone to to make the event so grand.

He felt a heavy hand clap onto his shoulder, and he looked up into the smiling face of his older brother. "You wear the uniform well, brother," Liam said. "The lovely Princess Emma will be swept off her feet when she sees how devilishly handsome you are."

"Leave off, Liam!" Killian said, shrugging his brother's hand from his shoulder.

Liam laughed, but then sobered when he noticed the depth of Killian's discomfort. "Killian, I mean no harm. You know that, right? You're all the family I have left on this world and I'd never wish to put a rift between us."

Killian nodded vigorously. "Of course not, brother! I know you mean nothing with your teasing, it's only…"

"Only what?"

"I've no idea how to conduct myself around Emma anymore," Killian lamented, letting the remainder of his explanation fall from his lips in a rush. "I…I care for her. As more than merely my best friend. She's lovely in every respect. Beautiful, of course, but also kind, spirited and strong as anyone I've ever met. I'm utterly captivated by her."

"Aye," Liam said with a gentle smile. "I've seen that quite well for myself. So what's the problem, little brother?"

"Younger brother," Killian said absently. He paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "I can't be at all sure of the lady's feelings toward me. At times, she seems open to my advances, seems to crave them, even, but at other times, it seems as though she wishes to run screaming from me. What is a man to make of such behavior?"

Liam rested an almost fatherly hand on his shoulder once more. "I'd wager the answer is quite simple. Your fair lady is conflicted herself. She feels something of a tender nature herself, to be sure, but she's afraid of what that might mean—for her and for your relationship in general."

Killian groaned in frustration. "And what am I to do? We'll be gone for a year! I cannot leave matters with Emma as they currently stand—in flux, uncomfortable, stilted! She's my dearest friend, Liam! I wish to be on good terms with her; wish to smooth over this awkwardness before we're separated for such a long time!"

"Ask her to dance," Liam said gently. "Find a quiet moment to speak with her and share your heart, Killian. Let her know how you feel about her."

"And if she rejects me? If she doesn't feel as I do?"

"That, unfortunately, is the risk one needs to take if he wishes his relationship to advance," Liam said. "Falling in love is a frightening business, brother. There's never a guarantee your feelings will be requited, but it's a surety that you'll never find happiness with a true love if you don't have the courage to lay your heart before her."

"And…" Killian asked tentatively, "have you done as much with your own love?"

Liam's eyes turned gentle. "Aye. Just last night I told Queen Elsa that I love her with everything within me. To my delight, she confessed her feelings are equally as strong. We aren't betrothed yet. We have, after all, only known each other a mere month, but I know in my heart that she's the only woman I'll ever wish to take as my wife. We plan to revisit the subject when our tour of duty is over and we've seen if our love can stand the test of time and distance."

Killian grinned. "I'm delighted for you, Liam. I hope everything works out…"

But whatever Killian wished to say was suddenly wiped from his mind as Grumpy the majordomo suddenly announced the arrival of Queen Elsa and Princess Emma. His lovely Swan was, simply put, breathtaking. She wore a long, white gown, fitted through the bodice, with long sleeves belling out. She wore her hair down and curly, a circlet of flowers and ribbons sitting on top.

An angel from heaven couldn't have been more lovely.

Beside him, Liam gasped, no doubt at the loveliness of his own lady, and the Jones brothers waited in rapt attention as the women descended toward them.

Killian felt his heart pause and then race as his Emma finally reached him, smiled radiantly and then curtsied before him.

"You put the stars to shame love," he murmured, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips fervently to its back.

Emma smiled, shaking her head teasingly. "I bet you say that to all the ladies, sailor."

"Hardly," he said, barking out a laugh. "I've only eyes for one woman in this ball room."

Emma's cheeks pinked gently, and it only added to her stunning beauty. "Well, I have to say, you're not looking too bad yourself in your new uniform. Quite striking, Killian."

Killian grinned. "Aye," he said with a teasing grin, "Liam's assured me I'm dashingly handsome. How would the lovely Princess Emma like to give this dashing rapscallion her first dance."

To his joy, Emma took his outstretched hand, giving him a second curtsy. "There's no one else I'd want to give it to."

Killian felt a rush of affection, even love, as he took Emma into his arms and twirled with her around the dance floor. She felt so good in his arms, her smile radiant, her hair a fragrant cloud down her back, her laughter and happy comments music to his ears. Killian had never taken a drink of stronger spirits, but he'd wager he knew what it felt to be drunk. He was intoxicated on his lady fair, and he wished he could freeze this moment in time and never let her go.

But all too soon the dance came to an end, and her father was there, asking to cut in for the next dance. If Killian wasn't mistaken, Emma turned from him reluctantly, a look of longing replacing the bliss on her face.

Aye, perhaps Liam was right. Perhaps tonight was the night he should lay his heart on the line before her.

And so he did as the lovely, magical night was beginning to draw to an end.

Emma smiled and dabbed at a line of perspiration on her brow. "Killian, I think I need a break! We've danced so much tonight, I'm likely going to be sore tomorrow!"

"Well we can't have that love," Killian said, smiling slightly. He felt his nerves begin to kick up. Now was the time to speak to his Emma, or he'd lose his nerve.

Emma must have seen something of his nerves in his face because her brows creased and she looked at him with concern. "Is something the matter Killian?"

"No, not at all," he answered, taking a deep breath. "But it has become quite warm in the ball room. Perhaps we might take a stroll in your father's middlemist garden?"

She reached for his hand, lacing their fingers as she smiled gently at him. "That sounds lovely."

They walked silently through the French doors off the ball room into the royal middlemist garden. It was a slow, easy stroll, one that would have been comfortable, friendly, if it wasn't for Killian's nerves about the conversation to come. Finally, feeling he would go mad with the anxiety if he waited any longer, Killian reached down, plucked one delicate pink flower and offered it to Emma.

She took it with a murmured thanks, brought it to her nose, and then placed it in her hair, next to her white circlet of flowers.

Gesturing with his free hand, Killian led Emma to a delicately carved bench beneath a magnificent old tree.

"Emma," he started, his voice wobbling slightly with his nerves. "There's something I wished to discuss with you before I take my leave tomorrow."

He watched the wariness replace the contentment in her eyes, and he swallowed hard, trying not to take her expression as a bad sign of things to come.

"Swan," he said, "you must know, you must have seen how deeply I've come to care for you."

Her sharp intake of breath was her only reaction.

"I don't tell you to pressure you or make you uncomfortable. I expect nothing from you love, unless you wish to give it, but I cannot go another day without letting you know that…that I'm in love with you Emma Swan. So terribly, so desperately in love. You are the very sun and stars to me, and my life was infinitely enriched when you entered it."

"Killian…" she began hesitantly after a long silence, "Killian, I…"

He read rejection in her pauses, in her conflicted eyes, and it felt as though a dagger pierced his heart.

"It's no matter, Swan," He said, getting hastily to his feet and affecting unconcern. "As I said, I expect nothing from you in return. I just wished to tell you before we're parted. And now I have, so, perhaps we'd best return to the ballroom?"

He turned, preparing to rush away from his disappointment and embarrassment, but he got no more than two steps before he felt her gentle hand on his arm, stopping him. He didn't resist as she turned him toward her.

"I think you misunderstand, Killian," she said, looking intently into his eyes. "I…I'm not rejecting you. It's just…I feel so confused; I hardly know which end is up. I value your friendship more than anything in this world and I'm terrified to do or say anything that might risk that…"

"You've no need to fear, Love," he said, cupping her cheek, unable to help himself. "You'll have my friendship to the end of your days regardless of what transpires between us."

She reached up to hold his hand against her cheek. "And you'll have mine. I…I don't know what to say. I…I definitely have feelings for you, but I don't even know what they are, how to process them. I don't know what I want or…or what I need from you, and…well… Please, Killian, don't give up on me! I'll figure it all out in time. Just…please be patient."

And then she moved forward, stepping on her tiptoes, leaning ever closer to him until her lips brushed his in a slow, gentle kiss. Killian savored it, memorizing every sensation, every feeling, every beat of his heart. He wanted to pull her closer, to bury his hands in her hair, to tilt her head and deepen the kiss, but she wasn't ready for that yet, not nearly. Killian merely followed his lady's lead, let her set the pace, confirming with his lips what his words had declared a moment before.

All too soon the kiss came to an end, Emma slowly pulling away. "I'll wait for you until the end of time, if I must, my Emma," he whispered as he gazed down on her dazed, smiling face.

And when Killian went off on his first tour of duty the next morning, he held the memory of Swan's sweet kiss with him, savoring it like the most precious treasure he owned. He would win her heart one day. Of that he was determined, but he would do so honorably, on her terms.

A year without her would feel like a lifetime, but she'd given him _hope_ , and as her mother was so quick to remind, happy endings always begin with hope.

 _Notes: Well there you have it, the next part of this multi-chapter! This particular chapter was longer than normal, but I really wanted to get through the ball without it having to bleed into the next chapter! This portion of the story was particularly fluffy and romantic, but beware a complication is coming!_

 _-Up next: While Killian is away at sea, Emma meets a new suitor, but when she gently turns down his advances, her heart already rather significantly belonging to a certain handsome sailor, he's more than a little disappointed. When his powerful father learns his son's been spurned…well, he makes his displeasure known...and delivers quite the ultimatum. Emma takes refuge with a powerful relative of her own, but can she find a way out of her predicament without anyone getting hurt—including herself?_


	7. Chapter 7

_My Dearest Swan Princess,_

 _I hope this missive finds you well and content. I miss you terribly, my love. Has it only been seven months since last we were together? The time has seemed interminable, but I content myself with the knowledge that my current tour of duty has passed the halfway point. I shall be back by your side—and dare I hope it? Back in your arms—in five months' time. Whilst I wait for that day, the small portrait you sent must suffice. The likeness is uncanny, Swan, but the artist didn't do justice to your hair, as lovely and precious as spun gold, or your eyes, twin emeralds, sparkling with fire and joy and a zest for life._

 _I'd imagine, my Swan, if I were to speak such sentiments in your presence, you'd swat my arm and call me utterly ridiculous. And so I am—utterly and ridiculously captivated by you. How I long to hold you in my arms, to bury my nose in the crook of your neck, to let the golden strands of your hair slip gently through my fingers, to taste those rosy lips once more…_

 _But such things cannot be, at least not yet._

 _Aside from my longing for you, I've no complaints about my time at sea. There's something exhilarating about being on the open water—letting out the sails and letting the wind rush through your hair as the ship speeds on. The Jewel truly is a marvel, love. The fastest ship in all the realms, I'd wager._

 _Being back with my beloved brother is a dream in and of itself. I'd follow him to the ends of the earth. Have you heard the news, Swan? Our captain plans to retire his post when this tour is at an end. Liam only yesterday received word from your father that he will be named the Jewel's new captain! It's an honor he so richly deserves. But it's not only Liam who looks forward to a promotion. Your father has assured me that when Liam has become captain, I'm to take his title as Lieutenant! It boggles the mind, love. A lieutenant at a mere nineteen years of age! I'm deeply humbled by your father's trust in me. I can only hope to make myself deserving of it._

 _You expressed concern for my safety in your latest letter. You've no need to fear, darling. Arthur has yet to breech the rules of diplomacy. I've not been engaged in a battle yet—although as you know, we spotted pirates on our journey to Camelot. I believe it was the dread pirate Roberts. Liam tells me his reputation is far more terrible than his actual person._

 _Camelot, itself is a lovely place, beautiful as a dream. I hope one day to bring you here—perhaps dance with you at one of the much-celebrated Camelot balls._

 _I must go, my love; the Captain is calling us to duty. I shall write again as soon as I'm able. Until such time, just remember that I love you to the depths of my heart, my Swan Princess._

 _Your most devoted servant,_

 _Killian_

Emma smiled, lazily tracing his signature with one finger. Folding the letter, she brought it to her lips, kissed it tenderly, and then added it to the growing pile of his love letters she kept under her pillow at night.

Killian said he missed her, but his longing couldn't be nearly as strong as hers. She hadn't realized just how much his constant presence in her life had meant to her. For eight years he'd been a staple in her life. He'd gone from being the enemy to being her dearest friend. He was the one she wished to confide in. He was the one she wanted to spend lazy afternoons with. He was the first one she thought of when she awoke in the morning, the last one she thought about at night.

To be separated from him for such a very, very long time was torture.

Emma absently tossed on her nightgown and headed for her bed. Once situated, she touched her lips softly, recalling the moment she'd kissed him. She could still feel his warm, firm lips against hers, recall the clean, minty-ness of his breath, the gentle way he murmured her name on a sigh as he fully gave himself over to the kiss. Confusing feelings—pleasure, anticipation, nervousness—welled up within her every time she thought of Killian and the kiss.

She didn't know what to make of these feelings—or what she should do about them.

Emma's musings were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Emma called, and smiled gently when she saw her mother walk through the opening.

"I've come to say goodnight Emma," Snow said, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her daughter and smoothing Emma's hair back from her forehead.

Emma relaxed into the touch, believing no one had such comforting hands as her mother. "Mama, we said goodnight before I came up to bed. I think I'm a little old to need to be tucked in."

"Now listen to me, young lady," Snow said with mock sternness, "you're never too old to be tucked in by your mother.

Impulsively Emma sat up and threw her arms around her mother. In many ways she found it easier to relate to her father; they were a lot alike, after all. But Emma loved her mother dearly. She shuddered to think of what might have happened if Grandma Regina hadn't given up her plans to enact the dark curse. What would she do if she was alone in the world with no one to care for? It would be such a lonely, heartbroken existence.

"So, did you enjoy your letter from Killian?" Snow asked casually—too casually—after a moment.

Emma felt herself blush straight to the roots of her hair. "Yes," she said, attempting to sound just as casual as her mother. "He writes very well, and he had some good news about his and his brother's promotions."

Snow reached over to Emma's nightstand and grabbed her favorite hairbrush. Emma sighed happily as her mother began pulling the brush through her hair, smoothing out the flyaways as she went. It was a soothing gesture; one Snow had always employed on the nights when Emma was particularly agitated.

"He looked handsome in his navy uniform, don't you think?" Snow observed.

 _Oh yes! He looked positively divine, and it took all my willpower not to jump into his arms and kiss him senseless as we said goodbye._

"I suppose so," Emma said aloud. "He's not a difficult man to look at."

Snow was silent for a moment, the only sound in the room the pleasing crackle of the hairbrush gliding through Emma's hair. Finally, she spoke again. "You know, Emma," she said hesitantly, "You can tell me anything. You need never hide anything from me. Your father's not the only one who will listen."

"I know," Emma said. She wanted to tell her mother of her feelings, of the feelings Killian confessed to her on a regular basis, of the hopes and dreams she was beginning to have with regard to a certain handsome soon-to-be-lieutenant, but it was different with Mama. Somehow they'd never really _talked_ like this before. They loved each other, but it was always Papa who soothed her hurts and talked her through her angst.

"Mama," Emma began, after another pause in the conversation, "how did you know?"

"How did I know what, honey?"

"How did you know you were in love with Papa?" she asked. "How did you know it was _True Love_?"

Mama smiled the distant, secret smile she always used when she thought about Papa and their love story. "It's not something that can be explained, honey. I just _knew_. Why?"

"It's just…. well, I kissed him."

"Who?

"Killian," Emma said quickly. "I kissed Killian. It was the day before he left. I kissed him."

Snow was silent for a moment. "Oh, well did it mean anything?"

"No!" Emma began, "well…yes…well…I don't know! Mama why is love so complicated?"

Snow laughed and then leaned over to hug Emma. "It's one of the great mysteries of life, I guess. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out you love someone. It certainly took your father and I long enough to admit our feelings for each other!"

"But…what if it goes wrong? What if you start courting someone—your friend—and then it all falls apart. What if…what if you lose him…not just as your sweetheart, but as your friend too?"

Snow wrapped her arms even more tightly around Emma and leaned down to rest her chin on top of her daughter's head. "There's no way to be 100% sure, honey, you have to take a leap of faith. You can build walls around your heart, and they might keep out pain, but they also keep out love, and you know what? Love is _so_ worth it."

Emma felt her heart leap. Suddenly she knew; she just knew. She loved Killian. _She_ loved _Killian!_ She didn't want to build walls around her heart. She _wanted_ to take that leap of faith.

To that end, Emma sat tall and squared her shoulders. "Mama, I'm in love with Killian Jones."

Mama smiled. "I know it, Emma. I've known it for some time, even if you hadn't realized it yet. The real question is: what are you going to do about it?"

Emma thought for a moment. Perhaps she should tell him when she wrote him back? After a moment, she tossed that possibility away. Something so incredibly important, so incredibly life-changing needed to be spoken in person.

"I'll tell him as soon as he returns from his tour of duty in five months."

"I'm proud of you Emma," Mama said, "and just so you know, I've been watching Killian as well, and I don't think you have anything to worry about. That man loves you to distraction. No matter what happens, he'll stand by your side."

Emma smiled, thinking of the words of love and devotion in the letters under her pillow. "I know he will."

Mama ran the brush once more through Emma's hair, and then put it aside, getting to her feet. "Goodnight, honey," she said gently, moving steadily toward the bedroom door.

Suddenly Snow stopped and turned back toward Emma. "Oh! All this talk about Killian almost made me forget! We will be entertaining guests at the end of the week. The Dark One plans to visit."

"The Dark One!" Emma exclaimed in surprise. "What can he want with us, Mama?!"

"Nothing to worry about Emma," Snow reassured. "It seems his son has finally returned home—from a different realm, no less—and he wants to introduce Baelfire (or Neal, as he now wants to be called) to the other royals and dignitaries of this realm. It's nothing more than a visit of state, but this Baelfire is not too many years older than you. If you could keep him company while they're here, I'm sure the Dark One would be very grateful."

Emma shrugged. "Sure. If you think it would be helpful, I'd be glad to hang out with him."

 _Notes:_

 _-As usual, I didn't get through everything I put in last week's "Up next" section. Honestly, I kind of doubted I would. There's a lot to cover! I wasn't necessarily planning this mother-daughter moment, but I thought it worked well here._

 _-Up next: Rumple and Bae visit the castle…and Bae ends up feeling far more for Emma than she does for him. When she gently turns him down….yeah, his dad is none too pleased by that and makes his displeasure well known…_


	8. Chapter 8

_Dear Killian,_

 _You have no idea how excited I am every time one of your letters arrives for me. Graham laughed at me after handing me your last one, telling me he thought I squealed loud enough for you to hear me all the way in Camelot. I can't help myself though, because I MISS you! Even now, more than seven months later, I still find myself looking for you to make a comment or share a laugh or feel your arms around me at least ten times a day._

 _Who would have known a year could last such an interminably long time? When you get home, I'm not letting you out of my sight for a good three weeks. At least._

 _Camelot does sound like a lovely place, and I would_ love _to visit it with you one day! Perhaps I can talk Mama and Papa into sending me on a diplomatic mission to Queen Guinevere…and of course I would need the escort of Papa's bravest and strongest navy men. You know, despite being a princess, I've_ never _been outside of the Enchanted Forest—save for my visits to Elsa in Arendelle. I know Mama and Papa are afraid for my safety, but what's the use of being royalty if I'm never able to go out and see the world?_

 _Life has continued as normal here at home. Mama wants to have a grand ball for my eighteenth birthday in a few months, and so I've been forced into more dancing lessons. I'd far prefer_ you _as my tutor to my parents' choice. Would you believe Mama recruited Grumpy (GRUMPY!) to teach me the various dances of the royal court? It's torture!_

 _Mama gave me some interesting news yesterday, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seems the Dark One himself is coming for a visit—along with his newly-returned son. Mama says the Dark One only wishes to make a visit of state, but I'm not sure. I can't help but remember all the tales about the terrible things he used to do back before Grandma Regina decided to turn from her vengeance._

 _But their visit will only last a fortnight, and it's bound to be entertaining if nothing else. From all accounts, the Dark One's antics are never dull._

 _I must go; preparations are being made for the important visit, and Mama wants to train me so that I'm prepared to receive important visitors when it's my turn to take the crown._

 _I miss you, I look forward to your return and I…well, I care for you an extraordinary amount. Take care of yourself and return to me soon!_

 _Your own,_

 _Swan Princess_

Killian smiled as he read his Swan's words, loving the way her joy and zest for life came through so clearly even just through the written word. Perhaps he was merely seeing what he wished to see, but if he wasn't mistaken his princess was saying more with her farewell than met the eye. If he was not mistaken, he was dangerously close to winning Emma's heart.

As he stood at the ship's railing and the salty sea air rifled through his hair, Killian reread his letter by the light of the large full moon on the horizon. As he continued with his reading this time through, a feeling of foreboding…almost of dread…came over him. There was something about Swan casually relating the Dark One's visit that didn't sit well with him. Like everyone in this land, he'd heard many, many stories of the terrors the Dark One inflicted during his long, long life. They were the sort of tales soldiers told around the campfire when they wanted to cause a fright among their companions.

Though he'd never had the misfortune of meeting this Rumplestiltskin in the flesh, the thought of the woman he loved being face to face with such a dangerous man didn't set at all well. Why was he _really_ planning to visit the Charmings' court? Was he planning to make one of his infamous deals with them? Killian knew King David and Queen Snow were far too wise to be taken in by the Dark One's manipulations again, but the whole situation still gave him pause…

And what of this son the Dark One was bringing with him? Would he be like his father? Were his motives pure in accompanying his father, or did he have something nefarious in mind?

As the moon crept behind a cloud, Killian sighed and folded his letter, placing it within his naval coat, close to his heart, he sighed. There was nothing he could do about the situation from here in Camelot. He must simply trust that Emma knew how to take care of herself—and that her parents would move heaven and earth to keep her from harm.

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

"I don't want to pry if you don't want to talk about it, but I can't help but wonder…What exactly is your story?" Emma asked as she sat on the picnic blanket Baelfire—Neal—had spread for the two of them in the castle's courtyard.

It was the last full day of the Stiltskin's visit to the Enchanted Forest palace, and Emma found that she'd enjoyed their stay far more than she'd expected to. While Rumplestiltskin _looked_ frightening with his golden, scaly skin and his lizard-like eyes, he'd been nothing but cordial while in their household.

Everyone knew the stories. Rumple had lost his son through a portal more than a century ago, and he dedicated every moment of his life afterwards trying to do two things: maintain his power, and find his son. Emma had read the storybook; she knew that Rumplestiltskin had been responsible for the terrible curse Grandma Regina had _almost_ cast. He was certainly not someone to let your guard down around. He could be _utterly_ ruthless when crossed.

Still, he'd shown no malevolence toward the Charmings and their household while present.

And Emma found that she genuinely like Baelfire—or Neal Cassidy, or whatever he wanted to be called. He was several years older than her, but he seemed to enjoy spending time with her, asking about her life, accompanying her as she took food to the poor residents of the village, telling her bits and pieces of his life while away from his Papa.

He was an amusing companion, but Emma still found herself missing Killian. Neal could potentially become a dear friend, but Killian…well Killian was like a piece of her very self, as necessary to her as air.

"No worries, Em," Neal said, leaning back on his elbows and looking up at the tree leaves above them. "It's not something I can't bring myself to talk about or anything. I'll tell you my story if you want."

As the afternoon faded into twilight, Neal told Emma about the tragic—but adventurous life he'd lived. When his father became the Dark One, he changed. In an attempt to get his Papa back, Neal had obtained a magic bean that would take them to a land without magic, but at the last moment, Rumple had refused to come through the portal with him. After a short stint with a family in the Land Without Magic, he'd found himself in the nightmare-ish realm of Neverland.

Emma listened with baited breath as Neal explained how he'd finally, finally found a way off of Neverland—and actually managed to escape.

"And you went back to the Land Without Magic?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

"What's that like? How do they get _by_ without any magic?"

"Well," Neal said, staring into the horizon, "it's a far different place than here, that's for sure. They don't have magic, but they've discovered something called 'electricity' that lets them turn on lights without fire. They also get around in these things called 'cars' that are these, I don't know how to describe them, they're like horseless carriages. They also have indoor plumbing—so you can get all the hot or cold water you want just by turning a knob."

"Wow!" Emma said, "it sounds like a wondrous land, why did you ever leave?"

Neal's brow furrowed and a frown turned down his mouth. "I…I got in some trouble, Em. I'd swiped a number of watches from a jeweler, and the authorities had a warrant out on me. I was about to be sent to jail; I had to do something."

Emma frowned. "You were a _thief_?"

"Yeah," he said, raising a hand as though to ward off her objectives, "but Em, hear me out. I'd…I'd been stealing all my life in the Land Without Magic. Had to; it was the only way I could get by, unless I wanted to end up in the system. Then I got the job at the jewelry store, and…I don't know. The idiot who ran the store left the counter of watches unlocked at the end of the night. He was just _begging_ to be robbed."

Emma's frown deepened.

"I messed up, okay?" Neal said, shooting her a pleading look. "Wish I could go back and undo it, but I can't."

Emma was silent for a moment, but then nodded, deliberately smoothing out her features. She supposed everyone did things they weren't proud of. It wasn't really her place to judge a man she barely knew. "But there's one thing I don't understand, Neal."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"How did you even get back here?" Emma asked. "If the land didn't have magic, how in any realm did you find a way to open a portal?"

Neal grinned fondly. "I didn't come over to the Land Without Magic alone. I brought Tinkerbelle with me, and she had a little bit of pixie dust left. Hadn't been able to use it for years, after she lost her wings, but when she saw me so frantic to get away, she managed to make it work to create a portal. I wanted her to come through with me, but she'd built up a life for herself there and she didn't want to leave."

"And…you weren't upset about coming back and coming face to face with your father again?"

Neal shrugged. "Yeah, I was, but it was better than ending up in the slammer. And Em, he's different now. He seems to really be trying; wants to see me happy."

"And are you?" Emma asked.

Neal turned slowly toward her, until he was lying on his side, his head pillowed on his hand. Emma felt an unpleasant thrill go through her when she saw the look in his eyes. That was the same look Killian had given her that day they'd had their fateful picnic. That was the look of a man thoroughly smitten.

While the look had confused her when it had adorned Killian's face, her heart had beaten a bit faster, her joy had spiked at the thought he might feel more for her than merely the friendship they'd enjoyed for years.

When it came to Neal, however, the look only filled her with dread. She would like to be Neal's friend, but that's all she ever wanted from him.

Finally Neal spoke, and Emma winced at the gravely sound of his voice. "Yeah, Em, I am, but you know what would make me even happier?"

 _Don't say it! Please don't say it!_

"I…I don't know," Emma said, getting to her feet, and reaching for the picnic basket, "but we'd best get going back. Don't want to miss dinner."

Neal quickly got to his own feet and stilled her with a hand to her shoulder. "We've got time. There's something I have to say, and since Dad and I are leaving tomorrow, I'm running out of time to say it."

 _Please don't!_

"Neal…" she said drawing out the name, hoping he got the message.

"Just hear me out Em," he continued. "I'm crazy about you. You've made me happier than I've been in ages. I was…I was hoping maybe you'd let me court you."

Emma felt her stomach plummet. Apparently there was no way to avoid this conversation.

"Neal," she said, taking a little step back. "I'm…I'm flattered by your interest, but I'm sorry. I can't accept. I can't court you."

His jaw dropped. "But why not? You think the son of the Dark One isn't good enough for you? Can't forgive my mistakes in the Land Without Magic? Knew I shouldn't have told you about that!"

"No!" Emma said quickly, "it's nothing like that. It's just…Neal, I've enjoyed spending time with you throughout the past fortnight, but I simply don't have _those_ kinds of feelings for you."

"Maybe not _yet_ ," Neal pleaded. "But maybe you just need to give it a chance! Maybe you just don't know what _those_ kinds of feelings feel like. Maybe I could persuade you to fall for me?"

"I'm sorry Neal," Emma said again, "but I know my feelings. I…I know what it feels like to love someone. You're a great guy, but I'm sure I won't ever feel that way for you."

Neal looked at her sadly for another moment, but then finally dropped his eyes, slowly nodding.

"I really am sorry, Neal," Emma said.

"Hey," he said, "no need to apologize. I get it. If you don't have feelings for me, you don't have feelings for me. How 'bout we head back to the castle for that dinner your mom's been planning all week?"

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

Things were a bit awkward between Emma and Neal that evening, and all in all, she was glad when he and his papa left the next morning. To his credit, Neal bid her a cordial farewell in the morning, acting almost as though nothing of the afternoon before had happened. Emma was incredibly grateful. She'd never been in a situation where she had to turn down a suitor's advances before, and she found that she didn't enjoy it at all.

With the Stiltskins heading back toward the Dark Castle, Emma breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how…awkward things might have ended up, it looked like they were over—and had gone as well as could be expected.

That's what Emma believed, that is, until the night a week later when the Dark One himself appeared in all his dark glory in the Charmings' dining room.

Emma and her parents had been enjoying a lovely family dinner, all seated together at one end of the long, magnificent dining room table, talking and laughing, and basking in the family time they had together, when suddenly black smoke filled the dining room.

When it cleared, Rumplestiltskin stood at the head of the table. Surprised, Charming quickly got to his feet, drawing his sword as he did so, but Rumplestiltskin sent the sword flying with a lazy flick of his fingers.

"I demand to know the meaning of this," Snow White said, coming to stand beside her husband. "Please do us the courtesy of giving word before you descend upon our home!"

Rumple giggled. "Why would I do that? I'm the Dark One. It's not like you can stop me."

Charming stepped forward, arms crossed. "Maybe not, but we can and will fight you. Now, please answer my wife's question. What is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning, dearies," Rumple said, moving until he was standing directly in front of Emma, "is that my son is not happy."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Charming said, "but it doesn't explain why you'd barge into my castle."

Rumple clicked his tongue. "Barge? I did not barge. I made quite an elegant entrance."

"Just answer the question!" Snow insisted with a roll of her eyes.

"Very well," Rumple said, and then pointed one, scaly finger in Emma's direction. "I'd wager your little princess knows a fair bit about what's bothering my lad. She's to blame after all. She turned down my Bae's plea that she allow him to court her."

Snow looked quickly at her daughter. "You didn't tell us he asked to court you, honey."

Emma felt her face flame and something akin to shame fill her. "I'm sorry Mama. It was awkward; I…I just didn't want to keep thinking about it. I'm sorry, but I _can't_ court Balefire. I don't love him. Please don't force me."

Snow stepped up and gave her daughter a hug. "Nonsense Emma, I wasn't scolding you. I was just surprised. Of course you're free to court whoever you like."

David stepped up to her other side. "And no one will be forcing you to court or marry any man you don't wish to."

"About that," Rumple said with a nasty grin, "I beg to differ. You see, my son is sad, and we can't have that. Last time my son was less than content he left me, and that is _not_ going to happen again. There is, fortunately, a simple solution. We must simply ensure my son rises from the doldrums and becomes my happy, loving Baelfire once more."

"What are you saying?" Charming asked angrily.

"What I'm saying, dearie," Rumple said deliberately, "is that your daughter _will_ accept my son's courtship and his hand in marriage. Prepare yourself for a wedding! In two months' time, I'll return to collect Emma and take her back to my castle where she'll be wed to my son."

There was a shocked silence in the dining room for another beat in time before Rumple spoke again. "And don't even _think_ about trying to stop me. Trust me, you don't want to know what will happen to you and your entire kingdom if the blushing bride isn't ready to go upon my return."

 _Notes:_

 _-We're coming to the climax of this little story very, very soon. As you saw, Rumple didn't take Emma rejecting his son very well at all, and has decided to strong-arm her into doing his bidding. Don't worry, though! Emma's hardly going to meekly stand for a bully to dictate her life for her—nor will she be alone. She'll have her parents, Killian, and her grandma Regina backing her._

 _-Up next: the penultimate chapter of The Swan Princess. Emma takes refuge with her powerful grandmother, Regina, wh'es magic may be able to stave off the Dark One long enough for them to come up with a plan. Charming calls his navy home to prepare for a potential war with the Dark One, and a certain soon-to-be lieutenant shows he's willing to move heaven and earth to save his Swan Princess from a fate she didn't choose. But will any of their efforts be enough to stop an immortal and all powerful Dark One?_


	9. Chapter 9

The day dawned dark and dreary. It had been storming for a solid three days, but it looked like the worst of it was finally past. Killian sat up in his bunk, put his head in his hands and sighed in relief.

The storms, while not serious, had made the _Jewel of the Realm_ sway and pitch so violently that even the most stalwart of the sailors were turning a bit green. Killian gingerly took a sip of water, waited a beat to see how his stomach would take it and then nodded in satisfaction. He hadn't been so seasick since his first journey with Papa when he was a wee lad.

There was a quick, tentative knock on the door, and then Liam stepped in, his brows furrowed in obvious worry. "Safe to enter, little brother?"

Killian groaned. "Younger brother!" he croaked out.

Liam gave him a tight smile and stepped into the captain's quarters, shutting the door firmly behind him. It was quite something, being here in the captain's quarters! It was rather unheard of, a naval captain giving his bed to a common enlisted man, but as soon as it was clear Killian was quite sick, their captain had surrendered his room quite readily.

"I'm needed at the helm, my lads," he'd said in his deep, gravelly voice, "and besides, in a matter of a few months this chamber will belong to Captain Liam Jones anyway."

It was an unexpected boon, and one the Jones brothers were certainly not going to turn down.

Killian made a quick quip about the ship pitching around as though it was being guided by the hand of a rather rambunctious tot, but then chanced a look at his brother's eyes. He looked…troubled was far too mild a word for it.

"Liam…what's the matter?" Killian asked in a small voice.

"We're being called back to the Enchanted Forest," Liam said without preamble, sitting heavily beside Killian on the bed.

Killian's heart leapt. "We're being sent back? But…that's a good thing, isn't it? We've both been longing for home for weeks now."

"I'm afraid…" Liam said, cleared his throat and then tried again. "I'm afraid the circumstances around our return are rather unfortunate. The king is amassing his full force to prepare for war."

"War!" Killian said, getting quickly to his feet, then closing his eyes and willing the nausea away as his head began to spin. "What the bloody hell _happened_ while we were away? King David and Queen Snow _have_ no enemies!"

"It would seem they've acquired one," Liam said grimly. "I'm not privy to all the details, but it seem the Dark One's visit to the castle ended rather badly…and now he's threatening violence."

"Emma," Killian said, beginning to pace. "Is Emma well?"

"As I said," Liam said with a shrug, "I'm not privy to the details. But it seems a letter arrived for you along with the order to return."

Killian fairly snatched the missive from his brother's hand, desperately praying the paper would contain words of comfort.

When he saw it had been written in the hand of the queen rather than that of his Swan Princess, his heart sank. Something dreadful had occurred. Something truly, truly dreadful.

For a moment, Killian merely stared at the unopened letter, irrationally hoping that if he didn't read it its contents couldn't be true, but at long last he turned it over, slid one finger under the flap until he'd broken the wax seal, and then pulled out the paper from within.

 _Killian,_

 _I'm afraid I have some rather shocking news to relate. The Dark One's visit was not the uneventful visit of state I had hoped. It seems his son, Baelfire—Neal—has developed a certain…fondness for our Emma. When she gently told him his feelings are unrequited, he appeared to take the news well—disappointed but gracious._

 _Just a week later, the Dark One returned and insisted his son's heartbreak was not to be borne. In short, he's demanded Emma wed his son in two weeks' time._

 _Naturally her father and I will not force her to wed a man she does not love, but I fear our refusal will set off a war with the Dark One. We've sent Emma to stay with my step-mother, Regina while we attempt to craft a plan, we're hoping, of course, Regina's magic will be sufficient to deter Rumplestiltskin._

 _Killian, I write to you because I am frightened, frightened for my daughter. I know how much you love her, and if I might say as much, I think your feelings are far from unrequited. Because of your love, I know you'll do all you can to protect my little girl. If the situation is agreeable to you, the navy will let you disembark at the dock nearest Regina's castle, and there you'll go to protect my Emma._

 _Please be careful Killian! The Dark One is not someone to trifle with. I couldn't bear it if something were to happen to you as well as Emma._

 _Yours,_

 _Queen Snow White._

Killian crushed the letter in his fist, swearing fluently and beginning to pace the cabin.

"Bad news, brother?" Liam asked.

"The worst," Killian said grimly. "Come, we must persuade to captain to get this journey underway. It's been a full week since this letter was written, and we don't have a moment to lose! If that bloody Crocodile thinks he's going to take my love away against her will, he'll have to go through me first!"

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

"Teach me magic!" Emma demanded, bursting into her grandmother's sitting room.

"I beg your pardon!" the queen mother said haughtily, placing her tiny baby girl in a bassinet.

"Teach me magic," Emma repeated. "It's been thirteen days since Rumplestiltskin made his threat, and I can't just sit here like some stupid damsel in distress. I want to _fight_! I want to save myself!"

"Emma, magic isn't something that can be simply taught," Regina said, crossing her arms. "You need to be born or cursed with it."

"I _was_ born with it!" Emma continued. "I'm the product of True Love, and that gave me pure white magic! You saw yourself what happened at my twelfth birthday party! I didn't like the color of the dress my mother wanted me to wear—it was pink—and I managed to magic it blue. You, yourself told me I have the potential to be great. Please, _please_ teach me! I can't simply let the Dark One force me into marriage, and I can't sit by while those I love fight—and probably die—for me!"

Regina looked at her impassively for a moment, and then took her seat once more, gesturing for Emma to do the same. "Emma, the Dark One has the strongest, darkest magic of any being in any realm. Do you really believe a young woman who's been learning for only a day has any hope of defeating him?"

Emma crossed her arms and put on her most stubborn look. "Maybe, maybe not, but I'm _not_ going down without a fight!"

Regina sighed, reached over to rock little Henrie's bassinet until the baby went back to sleep, and then shot Emma a resigned look. "Alright, Princess. I'll teach you, but just…don't get your hopes up."

The afternoon passed pleasantly enough, with Emma soaking up her grandmothers magic lessons like a sponge, and Grandpa Robin looking on proudly.

After Grandma Regina had accepted Mama's offer of grace, she'd remembered how Tinkerbelle's pixie dust had led her to a man with a lion tattoo in a tavern. Curious, she'd returned to the village in which the tavern was situated, and she found her soulmate once again. Robin of Locksley was a widower with a very young son. It seems his wife, Marian had passed away suddenly after a brief but rather fast moving illness.

Things hadn't been all rainbow stickers and unicorn kisses at first for the pair. They'd bickered as though it were their profession, swearing up, down and center that they utterly despised each other, but in the end, they'd discovered that the passionate hatred they felt for each other was actually something else entirely. Love. True, abiding love.

They'd been wed the next year in a lovely ceremony in the heart of the forest with Friar Tuck presiding.

Emma didn't remember any of this, of course, as she wasn't born until two years after the forest wedding, but she'd grown up hearing the tale, reading it in her storybook. As it happened, the queen mother's love story was almost as well-known as that of the king and queen.

But Regina's and Robin's happily-ever-after wasn't finished when they said I do. In a very rash moment several years before her wedding, Regina had taken a potion of infertility in an attempt to foil her mother, Cora's plans for her life.

As could be expected, once Regina was wed to her soulmate, she came to greatly regret her impulsive action and began actively looking for a way to reverse the potion she'd taken.

It was a year and a half ago that Regina had succeeded at her task, finally finding the ingredients she needed to make an antidote. Nine months later, nearly to the day, she'd given birth to a lovely baby girl who she and Robin had agreed to name Henrietta after her father. Roland, now a twenty-two year old man who'd just wed Princess Ella and Prince Thomas's daughter, Alexandra, had promptly shortened his sister's name to simply 'Henrie', and the nickname had stuck.

Emma trained with Regina until sunset broke over the castle. By the time their training came to an end, Emma could produce a fireball and had become reasonably adept at blasting things out of her way. Would it be enough to keep the Dark One at bay?

Combined with Regina's magic, she could only hope the answer was yes.

The family had just settled down to dinner, when there was a disturbance in the entrance hall. Concerned, both Emma and Regina got to their feet, fireballs at the ready.

But when the dining room door opened, it wasn't an enemy, but a very concerned soon-to-be-Lieutenant Killian Jones who burst through the door.

Emma stood slack-jawed for a heartbeat, hardly able to believe her eyes, and then she ran—almost flew—across the rush-covered stone floor and launched herself into Killian's arms, pushing him out the door—and away from prying eyes—in the process.

He braced himself for impact, and then held her close, smiling as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. She pulled back, peppering his cheeks with kisses, smiling as he chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Killian, how are you here?" she asked, between kisses.

"Well, Swan, I got a letter from your…"

"Never mind, I don't care _how_. I'm just glad you're here," Emma said breathlessly, pushing herself to her tiptoes and fusing her mouth to his. Killian responded almost immediately, wrapping her more firmly in his arms, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, taking all she had to give and giving her the same in return.

Emma had no idea how long the kiss lasted—it could have been minutes; it could have been hours. Kissing Killian was so overwhelming, so all-consuming that mundane things like time simply ceased to matter. But at long last, she broke away, breathing deeply as she smiled almost shyly into his eyes.

"Killian," she said, reaching up to wipe a tear from his cheek, feeling him do the same for her. "I love you. I just…I needed you to know."

His smile bloomed over his entire face, and Emma returned the smile, loving the little crinkles in the corners of his eyes. "Swan, you have no idea how very much I've longed to hear that, and I love you too. To the very depths of my heart."

And with that he leaned down and took her lips once more. This kiss was slower, deeper, infinitely more tender, and when it came to an end, Killian merely rested his forehead against hers.

"I know about the Dark One," he said hoarsely. "Your parents sent me here to help protect you. I swear to you, Swan, on my very life, he won't touch you. You'll be forced to marry a man you don't wish to only over my dead body."

"Don't even suggest that," Emma said quickly, cupping his cheek, feeling the scrape of his scruff against her palm. "I can't lose you, do you hear me Killian Jones? I _cannot lose you_."

He smiled. "I'm sure it won't come to that, love," Killian said. "Between my sword, your Grandfather Robin's bow, your Grandmother Regina's magic, and the entire force of your parents' army and navy, the Dark One won't stand a chance."

"Well, I'm not just going to stand around and say 'woe is me', you know," Emma said. "Grandma's been teaching me magic, and you better believe I'm going to fight to save myself!"

Killian chuckled and then leaned down to peck her lips once more. "That's my Swan Princess!" he said. "I've yet to see you fail at anything you've put your mind to. Between all of us, I've no doubt we'll succeed at skinning our Crocodile."

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

All through the next day, the entire castle was on edge. Even little Henrie fussed far more than normal, no doubt sensing the tension among the adults around her.

Today was the day Rumplestiltskin was slated to come for Emma. What was worse, storms at sea had delayed the Charmings and their soldiers, meaning they would almost definitely arrive too late to lend their aid in the showdown.

But when night fell with no sign of the sparkly golden imp, Emma and Killian breathed a sigh of relief and started to hope the Dark One's threats had been nothing more than bluster.

Their relief was short lived.

When night had fallen fully and the servants began their end-of-the-evening tasks, Killian sat with Emma beside one of the magnificent great hall fires. Turning toward her, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss.

"It looks as though the Dark One has seen fit to show you mercy, love."

Suddenly there was a swirl of purple smoke, and when it cleared there was the Dark One in all his sparkly glory.

"I wouldn't count on it, dearie!" He said, with a little giggle that set Killian's teeth on edge. "Mercy's not really my thing."

Killian was on his feet in an instant shouting loudly in his shock and dismay. Before he even had a chance to draw his sword, Regina was there, alerted by his shout, standing protectively in front of both Emma and Killian.

"Funny," she said with barely controlled rage, "I don't remember inviting you to my castle, Rumple."

Rumple giggled again, plucked a grape out of the fruit bowl on the end table, popped it in his mouth, and then seated himself with a flourish—in the most luxuriant seat in the house. "Today's the day I collect my son's bride. She's here. The invitation was kind of implied."

"I am no one's bride," Emma said firmly, "at least not until I choose to be. Your son knows full well how things stand between us. I was quite clear when I told him I'd value his friendship, but that's all that could ever exist between us."

Rumple steepled his hands and smirked at her over the top of them. "Oh, but there's where you're wrong, dearie. My son wants you, and you he shall have."

"Think carefully, Dark One," Regina said, forming a fireball in her hand. "If you come into _my_ home and threaten to kidnap _my_ granddaughter, I'm going to be rather offended, and you don't want to see where that will lead you."

When Rumple merely continued to smirk, Regina sent her fireball through the air, but Rumple was too fast for her. In an instant, he was out of his chair, smile wiped from his face. With one lazy flick of his wrist the fireball disappeared. With a second, he sent Regina flying until she crashed into the stonework around the fireplace. She slunk to the ground unconscious.

"Now," Rumple said nastily, "I grow tired of the delay. You, Princess Emma, belong to me—or rather to my son Bae—It's time I take what belongs to me."

Killian felt his blood boil, and he surged forward until his sword was pointed at the Dark One's throat. "Emma is not a possession to be passed from one person to another! She stays right here until she damn well chooses to leave!"

Rumple looked on Killian with a sneer. "And just who might you be, pirate?"

"I am no pirate!"

Rumple giggled yet again. "Oh but I think you are. What else should I call a man who steals what belongs to another man?"

Killian felt a surge of protectiveness run through his veins. "You take her against her will only over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged," Rumple said, smiling nastily. "Maybe I'll start by relieving you of that hand waving a sword at me?"

"No!" Emma shouted, pushing Killian out of the way, raising her hands protectively. "Don't touch him! It's me you want."

The next few moments were pure chaos. Emma shot a surge of magic at Rumple, which did nothing more than push him back a step. Killian got to his feet, preparing to charge, but with a wave of magic, Rumple froze him in place. Killian watched in horror as Rumple then extended his hand, choking Emma and lifting her off her feet with nothing but the force of his magic.

"Now, dearie," Rumple said, "you have _one_ more chance. Think very, very carefully. Either you agree to come with me willingly, be a good girl, and marry my son, or I rip out your heart and force you."

"Never!" Emma choked out with what little breath she could muster around Rumple's hold.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Rumple said with a shrug.

He shot his hand out, clearly prepared to carry out his threat when there was a disturbance at the great hall door.

"Let her go!" a man shouted as he sprinted into the room. "Let them both go or I swear, Papa, you'll never see me again!"

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d

Emma took deep shuddering breaths as Rumple finally released her and she fell to the ground. She massaged her bruised windpipe, and then felt Killian's strong arms around her, lifting her to her feet, looking concernedly into her eyes.

"Swan! Are you alright love?" he asked.

"Yes," she croaked, cupping his cheek in one hand, "I'm fine Killian."

Together they turned back to the other two men.

"Bae!" Rumple said. "What are you doing here son?"

"Apparently keeping you from your same old crap," Neal said, eyes narrowed. "You're unbelievable, you know that? I keep thinking you've changed, but you never will. When will you get it through your thick skull thatI don't want a single, damn thing you get for me by murdering or strong arming people?"

"Please!" Rumple begged. "I just wanted to make you happy, Bae! She refused you!"

"And that was her right!" Neal thundered, getting in his father's face. "I have half a mind to just leave, wash my hands of you and this whole damn land."

"No, Bae!" Rumple said, taking hold of his son's shoulder. "I can change! I _can_ change!"

Neal took a step back and then pulled a small pouch out of his pocket. "You can change, Papa?" he asked. "Prove it."

"Anything!"

"You know what this is?" Neal asked, shaking the pouch. "Pixie dust. Enough to make just one more portal. I'm heading back to the Land Without Magic. This is your chance to make up for the last time. Come with me. We'll make a life for ourselves. Maybe look up Tink. Find some quiet place where we can just be a _family_."

"But Bae," Rumple said, eyes wild, "I…I can't. I'll be powerless! I know _nothing_ about that world!"

"I'll teach you all you need to know," Neal said, "but I swear to you Papa. This is your last chance. You either come with me where you can't ever hurt anyone again, or I go alone. And you know what happens if you make the same choice as last time? You never see me again, you understand me? _Never_."

For several moments there was silence. Emma could see the conflict on Rumplestiltskin's face, the warring inside between his love of power and his love of his son. She held her breath, inwardly praying he'd choose Bae, praying they'd soon be free of the ever-present threat of the Dark One.

Finally, Rumple's shoulders dropped and he nodded slowly. "Very well, Bae. We'll go to your Land Without Magic."

A smile broke out across Neal's face, and he clapped his father on the shoulder. "Papa!"

Evidently feeling it best to act before the Dark One had a chance to change his mind, Neal tossed the last handful of pixie dust onto the great room floor, and a swirling, green portal opened up before them.

"Neal," Emma said, just before the Stiltskins took their leap.

He turned toward her. "Yeah, Em?"

"Thank you."

He smiled gently once more. "Hey, no problem. Look, I hope you find your happy ending, even if it isn't with me."

Without another word, Neal took hold of his father's hand, and together they jumped through the portal and into their own fresh start. Whether or not that fresh start would lead to a happy ending was anyone's guess, but they'd taken that first step.

As the portal closed around the Dark One and his son, Emma turned back toward the man she loved. "Killian," she said, "we're free!"

He picked her up, twirled her around, and then leaned up to capture her lips in a searing kiss.

"I suppose this means you survived the showdown with the Dark One," came a dry voice from behind him.

Emma looked back to see Grandma Regina getting gingerly to her feet, rubbing at her head with a grimace.

"More than survived," Emma said with a laugh, "we won!"

Regina nodded firmly, and then clutched at her head once more. "I wouldn't have expected any less from a granddaughter of mine."

 _Notes:_

 _-Well there you have it! All that's left is a fluffy epilogue. Are you surprised I found a way to give EVERYONE their happy endings?_

 _-Up next: The conclusion of_ The Swan Princess _. The Charmings hold a ball jointly in honor of Emma's 18th birthday and the Jones brothers' promotions….Let's just say Emma and Killian will find this ball far more enjoyable—and life-changing—than their first one!_


	10. Chapter 10

Epilogue

 _A/N: Warning: Absolutely ridiculous levels of happy, sugary fluff ahead. Proceed at your own risk…_

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

Killian took a deep breath, feeling the sweat bead on his forehead, his heart hammering in his chest. He doubted he'd ever been so nervous in his entire nineteen years of existence. Slowly letting out his breath, Killian squared his shoulders and rapped firmly on the door before him.

It had been a beautiful, absolutely blissful two months here at the castle ever since the Dark One had gone to the Land Without Magic. He and Emma had spent an idyllic summer together, talking, laughing, holding each other—and whenever they could steal away (which was no easy feat with all seven of the dwarves styling themselves the princess's own personal chaperones), long, slow kisses.

Killian didn't even know it was possible to be so deeply, so passionately, so stupidly in love. But after a summer of paradise, Killian found he wanted more, much, much more. He wanted everything.

And so it was that he stood outside the King and Queen's private sitting room literally shaking in his boots as he waited for his Swan Princess's parents to grant him entrance.

"Enter," came the voice of the king.

This was it. Sending up a quick prayer to heaven, Killian grasped the door handle, twisted, and then pushed. Queen Snow and King David sat in comfortable chairs in their sitting area, the sun shining merrily on the happy, True Love couple.

"Killian," Snow said with a smile and a raised eyebrow, "I'm surprised to see you up and about so early. You and my daughter were out quite late for your moonlight stroll last night. I understand the stirrings of young love, but I'm afraid we'll all suffer today with Grumpy's complaints about lack of sleep."

Killian grinned in spite of himself, remembering the night before, seated with Emma in the royal gardens. He thought of the becoming blush on her cheek as he'd cut and given her a middlemist flower and then tucked it into her loose bun. The romantic moment had been broken by the quiet grumbling of Emma's chaperone of the night, and the couple had dissolved into laughter.

"I apologize for the unpleasantness your highness, but I can't bring myself to regret my evening with Swan."

"Nor would I expect you to," David said, getting to his feet and clapping Killian on the shoulder. "My wife and I were just about to sit down to an informal breakfast. Would you like to join us?"

"Thank you, but I couldn't impose," Killian said, feeling all of his nerves rush back in upon him now that the moment of truth was upon him. "I…I merely wanted to have a quick word with you both, and then I'll leave you to your repast."

Snow and David shot each other an amused look, and Killian couldn't help but wonder if the king and queen had a suspicion about what Killian wished to discuss with them.

"Have a seat," David said, leading Killian to an ornate sofa across from their chairs. Then, taking his own seat, David took his wife's hand and threaded his fingers with hers. "Now, Killian, what's on your mind?"

Killian swallowed audibly, trying desperately to calm his pounding heart. "Your majesties," he said formally. "I wanted to inform you that I love your daughter with all my heart."

Snow shot an amused look at her husband, and then turned back toward Killian. "Yes, Killian, we're well aware of your feelings for Emma. Was there maybe a question you wanted to ask the king and me?"

Killian nodded. "Aye. I…I know I'm merely a lieutenant in your navy and I can't provide your daughter with the kind of life a true prince could, but I vow to you I will offer her a lifetime of everlasting love, devotion and respect. Your Majesties, I…I've come to ask your blessing to propose marriage to Emma."

The king and queen were silent for a moment, and then King David turned toward Killian with a smile on his lips and tears in his eyes. "Killian, I can't speak for my wife, but for my part…I think I've hoped this day would come ever since you and my little Swan Princess were inseparable childhood friends. You have my blessing gladly, and I can't wait to welcome you into the family."

Killian felt his heart leap. He turned toward the queen, awaiting her response.

"I'll grant my blessing on one condition." The queen twisted the silver wedding ring with the small green stone from her finger. "It's said that True Love follows this ring wherever it goes. I would be pleased if you'd present this to my daughter as a token of your love and commitment."

Killian took the ring reverently with trembling fingers. This conversation had gone far, far better than he'd ever hoped.

"Thank you," he said in a voice gruff with emotion, "and I would be absolutely honored to use this ring to propose to Emma."

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

 _Dear Em,_

 _I hope you get this letter. Ariel the mermaid promised she could take a letter across realms, but who knows? I know full well how difficult realm travel can be._

 _Anyway, I hope you're doing alright, and I just wanted to let you know that things are working out well here in the Land Without Magic. Papa and I settled in this city called "Boston". Em, I bet you'd have liked it. Right now, I'm just working odd jobs—stores, restaurants, that sort of thing, but I have ideas for the future._

 _Papa started his spinning again. Turns out he's really good at it. I found him this old fashioned loom, and he's even started weaving blankets, simple clothing items, that sort of thing. I'm hoping one day we'll be able to open our own little shop—papa makes the clothes and I run the business side of things._

 _But that's not even the biggest news._

 _Remember how I said Tink stayed behind because she'd made a life for herself? Turns out she wasn't being totally honest with me. See, she figured I'd come back some day, and she wanted to give me a fresh start. Offered herself up to the police; confessed to my crime of stealing the watches. They gave her 11 months, which_ kills _me! It should have been me doing the time, but Tink insisted it was what she really wanted._

 _I'm just blown away. And, Em? Turns out you made the right call turning me down. Don't get me wrong, you're a great person and Killian's a lucky guy, but when I got back to the Land Without Magic and sawTink again and found out what she did for me last year after I came back here…well, I suddenly realized it's her I have feelings for. We've been dating for about a month, and I think things are going good._

 _So hey! Happy endings for everyone, right?_

 _Anyway, I know your big birthday ball is coming up soon and I hope you have a good one._

 _Take care!_

 _Neal Cassidy_

Emma folded up the letter, smiling happily. She was glad everything seemed to have worked out the way it was supposed to. And who knows? Maybe in the Land Without Magic Rumplestiltskin could even find a way to be a decent person. Stranger things had happened.

Looking at a clock on her chamber wall, Emma got to her feet. The ball for her birthday and for Killian's and his brother's promotions would start in two and a half hours. It was time she call for her maid to start her bath if she hoped to have time for her hair to fully dry in time for it to be styled. (Aunt Ruby had promised to come help her style her hair, and then she and Elsa would help each other with make-up.)

She was on the point of opening her door and calling for a maid when there came a tentative knock at said door. Emma opened it to reveal the man she loved.

Killian looked…nervous, ill-at-ease. Emma's stomach dropped. What could be the matter?

"Killian?" she asked tentatively, opening the door wider and ushering him in (leaving the door conspicuously _open_ so none of her diminutive chaperones need have the vapors over her being in her bedroom with a man.) "Are…are you okay?"

He gave her a surprised glance and then pasted a very obviously forced smile on his face. "Of course, love. I'm perfectly shipshape. I've come to wish you the happiest of birthdays."

"Thank you…" Emma said slowly, still more than a little ill at ease at the strange way he was behaving.

"Might," he said in a voice that cracked. He cleared his throat and started again. "Might we adjourn to your balcony, Swan? I've something I wish to discuss with you, and the balcony seems an appropriate place."

Emma gave him a probing look and then shrugged knowing he would eventually get around to telling her what was on his mind and her questioning would do nothing to help speed things up. Emma turned toward the large French doors leading to the balcony that looked out on the castle's gardens. She had to admit it was a beautiful, romantic view. On this morning with the sun shining down on the dew covering everything, it was positively gorgeous.

Once outside, Emma took a seat and watched in concern as Killian paced for a moment before turning toward her, squaring his shoulders.

"Emma…my Swan princess," he began, eyes fervent and overflowing with feeling, "You must know by now how deeply, how completely, how eternally I love you."

Emma felt her heart melt and she smiled up at him, taking his hand and squeezing it. "Of course I know, Killian, and I love you too. So, so much."

He smiled, squeezing her hand in return. "Aye, love. I know it full well. It's just…ever since we received word that Liam and Elsa are engaged to be married, I've given a good deal of thought to my own happy ending. Do you know what I realized, Emma?"

She shook her head,

"I realized, my love," he said, dropping down to one knee before her chair, "that I have no need to search for my happy ending, because I've found it already."

Emma's eyes widened. "If…if you've already found your happy ending…what is it?"

His eyes bored into hers. "Don't you know, Emma? It's you."

She couldn't have said a word if her life depended on it. She drew in a deep breath, overwhelmed and so overcome with love she thought her heart would burst with it. Slowly she leaned forward, pressed her lips to his, and told him in the only way she was capable just what his words meant to her.

The kiss went on and on, and Emma felt a single tear make its way down her cheek. This was everything. If the angel of death came for her right now, she could depart this life knowing she'd achieve perfect happiness.

After long moments, Killian pulled back, his hand still in her hair, and Emma could see the tears swimming in his eyes as well.

"Emma," he said, voice hoarse with emotion, "I have something important I must ask you."

She had more than a little idea of just what that something might be, and she wanted to yell her "yes" to the entire kingdom. Instead, she calmly responded. "Go ahead, Killian. I'm listening."

Killian pulled back, pulled a ring—her _mother's_ ring—from his waistcoat pocket, and held it before her. "Emma, Princess of Misthaven, will you do me the greatest honor of my life and consent to become my wife?"

Emma slipped from her chair until she was on her knees with him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she smiled and whispered "yes" before pulling in for one more kiss.

~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~l~d~

Snow White sat in her throne beside her husband as the two looked out over the ball room. The entire kingdom seemed to be in high spirits on this night, but she had eyes only for her daughter. Snow's heart turned over as she watched Emma, dressed in a lovely, princess cut red dress with her hair pulled up into a loose bun, dance with her newly minted lieutenant. The love and utter joy on Emma's face could have lit up the entire castle.

It was all Snow could have ever asked for her daughter.

"I think we did pretty well with our Swan Princess, don't you think, my love?"

Snow pulled her eyes away from her daughter and turned to smile up at her husband. "She looks so _happy_ , Charming! Did you see my ring on her finger? Killian must have asked her and she must have said yes!"

"I've no doubt he did," David said in return. "I recognize that look on his face. That's the happy, almost reverent look of a man whose True Love has accepted his hand."

"I _knew_ they'd make the perfect couple," Snow beamed. "Didn't I say it, even years ago when they were children?"

David laughed. "That you did, my love; that you did." She watched as a look of wistfulness came over her husband's face. "I'm thrilled my daughter found such a good man and such a deep love, but I must admit. I'm going to miss my little girl."

Snow reached over and laced her fingers with her husbands. "Don't worry, Charming. She's not going anywhere. She and Killian will no doubt take up residence in the castle—or at least upon the palace grounds. We'll see our Swan Princess nearly as much then as we do now."

Snow put a protective hand over her flat stomach. "Besides…David I have a feeling that in about eight months we'll both be too busy to even notice the times when Emma's absent."

"What makes you think…" David began, and then abruptly ground to a halt as his eyes dropped to her hand. "Snow…are you trying to tell me…"

Snow's smile grew and she nodded. "Late next spring a new little prince or princess is going to be taking up residence in the castle. I'm pregnant."

David's face lit up, and then he leaned over and kissed her soundly. The two of them had been hoping for a big family—both of them having grown up as only children—but after Emma, they'd never been blessed with another baby, no matter how much they tried for one. That Snow finally, _finally_ found herself with child once again was nothing short of a miracle.

"Are you happy?" She asked softly.

"No," he answered seriously…and then smiled as widely as she'd ever seen him smile. "I'm _thrilled_. My country is at peace. Our one remaining enemy is in a place where he can never again hurt us. My daughter has found true love with a man I both care for and admire, and my wonderful wife just let me know that I'm about to be a father again. There's not a person in any realm I'd want to trade lives with."

The End!

 _Notes: Well, there you have it. The ridiculously fluffy ending of The Swan Princess. Not only did it end happily for everyone, but I think pretty much everyone ended up getting even more than they'd thought possible—Snow and Charming are pregnant with a little boy they'll name Leo; Emma and Killian will marry and live happily ever after; Liam and Elsa will likewise marry and be ridiculously happy—making Emma and Elsa not only best friends but also sisters; Neal and Tink end up together; and Rumple succeeds at making a name for himself with his one-of-a-kind clothing line—and Grumpy's chaperone services will no longer be necessary, thus eliminating the extra-grumpy mornings after Emma and Killian are out late on a date :-) (I apologize for any tooth decay or weight gain you might have experienced as a result of this level of sugary sweetness, lol.)_


End file.
